


Outlast

by asroarke



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Choose Your Own Adventure, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, King!Bellamy - Freeform, Minor Character Death, POV Alternating, POV Bellamy, POV Clarke, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, jealous!Bellamy, queen!clarke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-03-26 18:50:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 39,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13863816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asroarke/pseuds/asroarke
Summary: “On one knee,” she interrupted, and Bellamy glared back at her smirk as he got down on one knee in front of her.“Clarke,” he huffed, hating the smug look on her face as she looked down at him. “Will you marry me?” Bellamy knew she didn’t trust him, at least not enough for this to be a simple decision. But the facts were on Bellamy’s side. It was in Clarke’s best interest that Azgeda did not take out Polis, which meant it made sense for her to assist Bellamy. But that didn’t change the fact that she couldn’t stand him and he couldn’t stand her. “Will you go to war with me, Clarke?” he asked with a small smirk, noticing how her eyes narrowed decisively back at him.“Yes,” she replied before pressing her lips together.A Choose Your Own Adventure Royalty AU where you guys get to vote on what happens next at the end of each chapter.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In honor of hitting one million words on ao3, I wanted to do something special to celebrate. So, a choose your own adventure story was what I decided to do (shoutout to Lynne for giving me this awesome idea). Here is how it will work: each chapter will end with a choice, you guys will vote on which choice I make in the story, and the following chapter will play out that choice. This is an experiment, and I'm making no guarantees that this will all go smoothly. But if it works, that would be awesome. I've got a cool story planned for you guys, one that currently has several potential endings. I can't wait to see where your choices get us!
> 
> Here is how voting will work:  
> -The easiest way to vote is to leave a comment at the end of a chapter with your vote.  
> -If you follow me on Twitter (@asroarke), I will have a poll set up and you can vote that way.  
> -If you follow me on Tumblr (@asroarke), you can reblog or reply to the chapter update post I make. If you reblog, it is okay if your vote is put in your tags.  
> -I will close voting five days after the chapter is updated so that I can tally the votes and start writing the next chapter in a relatively quick manner. 
> 
> I hope you guys are as excited about this as I am! I've been looking forward to this for weeks! Love you guys!

Bellamy let out a sigh, seeing his breath before him in the crisp night air. It was quiet in Polis… at least for tonight. Everyone in the palace went to bed hours ago, although Bellamy was finding it harder and harder to sleep through each night.

He tilted his head up to look at the night sky, frustrated that the clouds were keeping him from being able to make out the constellations. It was just as well. He probably needed to get back inside and try to sleep anyway.

But as soon as he crawled back into his bed, there was a knock at the door. “Are you kidding me?” he groaned as he sat up, and Kane let himself in.

“I wouldn’t disturb you if it wasn’t an emergency,” Kane replied, and Bellamy pushed himself out of bed. “I just heard from one of our navy captains about an incident with an Azgedan ship.”

Bellamy stilled as he watched Kane roll out a map on Bellamy’s table, his entire body freezing at the mention of an _Azgedan_ ship. Queen Nia had not made peace negotiations easy over the last few years, and Bellamy was coming to the realization that she might not want peace. “Tell me nothing happened to that ship,” Bellamy begged, and Kane’s eyes flickered up to his apologetically. “Kane, tell me that my men did not attack an Azgedan ship while sailing under my kingdom’s flag.”

“Azgeda ventured into our territory,” Kane whispered, tapping at the part of the sea that Nia and Bellamy had agreed was Polis territory. “When our men flagged their ship for the violation, they attacked.”

“And we defended ourselves,” Bellamy grumbled, running his fingers through his hair. There had been a lot of incidents like this lately. Azgeda always provoked the fight. It didn’t matter if it was on land or on sea, they always started it.

“They retreated, and we pursued,” Kane explained, tracing the route of the two ships with his finger across the map. “Then, we took them out here,” he sighed, tapping on the neutral part of the sea.

Bellamy bit his lip as he studied the map, furious that they couldn’t have at least sunk the Azgedan ship in their territory so that they had evidence of the Azgedans violating their current treaty. “They’ve done this before,” he realized, plopping down in a chair. He had read all about it when he was younger. “It was the same tactic her great-grandfather used when he wanted to provoke a war with us last time. This gives Nia all she needs to formally declare war on us,” he muttered before burying his face in his hands.

Bellamy was not prepared for a war with Azgeda, and Nia _knew_ that. He was an untested king, one who did not have a lot of formal preparation for the task ahead of him. He was lucky to have Kane to guide him, otherwise Polis would have fallen to Azgeda already. “Your Majesty, I know this is a lot to take in, but a decision needs to be made.”

“As soon as Nia gets word of what happens, she will declare war. I know,” he grumbled. “And they outnumber us.”

“Which is why I want to propose an alliance with Arkadia to increase our numbers,” he suggested.

“We already have an alliance with Arkadia, who also has an alliance with Azgeda. King Jake is not about to get in the middle of a war and violate his treaty with Azgeda,” Bellamy huffed.

“I think you mean Queen Clarke,” Kane corrected politely, and Bellamy clenched his eyes shut, frustrated that he forgot that King Jake has been dead for almost two years now. “But you are right, with our alliance as it is with Arkadia, she won’t be inclined to jump in to help you,” he said, raising his eyebrow at Bellamy. It was no secret that Bellamy and Clarke did not get along. It was personal matter, nothing that ever got in the way the way that Arkadia and Polis got along… but it also meant that Clarke would be far less willing to intervene on his behalf.

“Wait, ‘as it is’? What do you mean by that?” Bellamy realized, blinking up at Kane who had a hesitant look on his face.

“Well, you could talk to her. After all, Azgeda was responsible for her father’s death. And Azgeda did not intervene when Arkadia was at war with the Mountain,” Kane explained, and Bellamy bit a lip. He had a point. Clarke had a lot of reasons to be angry with Azgeda, perhaps enough to persuade her to join Polis in this inevitable war. Plus, Bellamy could make the argument that if Azgeda wipes Polis out, it would give Azgeda a better launching point to take Arkadia next.

“Can we even trust her? She has maintained an alliance with Azgeda. She could easily betray Polis if Azgeda offers them some kind of truce in exchange,” Bellamy mumbled. Dealing with Echo and Azgeda taught him a long time ago not to trust such tentative alliances.

“You can trust her if you create a more _permanent_ alliance,” he replied, and Bellamy’s eyes widened back at him. Kane was suggesting he marry that _princess_ , the same girl who walked into every room as if she owned the place, the girl who managed to argue with Bellamy about every little thing the last time he saw her all those years ago…

“What is your back up suggestion because I know you cannot be serious about me marrying her,” Bellamy snapped.

“We look into a similar alliance with Trishanakru. I am sure Prince Ilian would happily marry—”

“No,” Bellamy cut him off. He made a promise to Octavia that he wouldn’t marry her off, and he intended to keep that promise. He couldn’t just offer her up to Ilian unless it was an absolute last resort. And there was one other option that Bellamy was now forced to put back on the table.

He set his eyes back on the map, letting his eyes drift to his border with Arkadia. If Arkadia was going to be involved in this conflict, he needed them on his side. Other than the numbers issue, he also did not want to have to fight a war on two different fronts. It was a surefire way to let Polis fall. He couldn’t let that happen.

But Kane was right. There was only one way to make certain that Clarke did not turn to Azgeda’s side. “She will never agree to this,” Bellamy sighed.

“She will if you let me do the talking. No offense, but you do not exactly go out of your way to be nice to her,” Kane teased, and Bellamy couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

 

* * *

 

The first thing he observed was how _different_ Clarke seemed. Then again, he hadn’t seen her since she became Queen Clarke.

She held herself differently. It wasn’t the air of confidence of someone who thought they deserved their title, but instead the presence of someone who knew that her title was often more of a curse than a gift.

Over the years, Bellamy hadn’t spared much thought over Clarke. Arkadia was just across the border, but the two of them communicated entirely through ambassadors. He had heard the stories of what happened to her father, and he had heard several variations of what allegedly happened to Clarke when she was taken by the Mountain. He would never fully be able to tell what was fact and what was fiction when it came to the story of Arkadia’s war with Mt. Weather, but he _did_ know that Arkadia’s princess made it out alive and the Mountain fell quickly after.

While Kane briefed Clarke on Polis’ situation with Azgeda, Bellamy let himself take another look at her. She was dressed in a darker dress than he was used to seeing her in, a sharp contrast to her pale skin and hair. Her face looked about the same as he remembered, perhaps a bit colder now… but that went with the territory of being thrown into power long before one was ready. At least Bellamy could understand _that_. He wasn’t supposed to take the throne for years, and Clarke should have had at least another decade to prepare.

When her blue eyes flickered to his, Bellamy jerked his attention back to Kane, praying that she did not catch him staring at her. “Let me assure you, Your Majesty, our captain would not have attacked an Azgedan ship unprovoked, regardless of if it was in our territory or not,” Kane reassured.

“Your ambassador explained the situation to me, so there is no reason to revisit it right now. I came because apparently your kingdom wishes to renegotiate its current alliance with Arkadia,” Clarke interrupted, getting straight to the point.

“Right,” Kane stumbled, and Bellamy sucked in a breath. This was it… the moment where Clarke Griffin decided the fate of Polis. He snuck a look at her, seeing the curious look in her eyes as she kept her focus on Kane. “As I said earlier, it is in Arkadia’s best interest that Polis does not fall to Azgeda, seeing as it is the only kingdom standing in between you and Azgeda.”

“You have already made this point to me. What is your proposal?” Clarke interrupted again, clearly getting irritated by how Kane was stalling. But if she knew what they were proposing, she would understand Kane’s hesitation.

“A more permanent alliance between Arkadia and Polis,” Kane said carefully, and Bellamy turned to look back at Clarke who was narrowing her eyes in confusion. There was a quiet whispering of ambassadors in the back of the room, a few confused looks flying about the room.

Clarke blinked a few times before her eyes met Bellamy’s, the realization sinking in as her jaw clenched. “I think King Bellamy and I need the room,” she finally said, locking eyes with Bellamy.

“I’m not sure that is a great—” Kane tried to say.

“You heard her,” Bellamy snapped, not breaking eye contact with Clarke across the table. There was a quiet shuffling as everyone quickly exited through the narrow doorway. As soon as most of the ambassadors and advisors were out of the room, Clarke pushed her chair back and walked over to the window.

As soon as the door slammed shut, she muttered, “You are out of your damn mind.” She kept her eyes fixed on the window, crossing her arms with her back to him.

“I take it this was not the romantic proposal you had always been hoping for, huh princess?” he teased, and she whipped her head around to glare at him.

“I think you mean Queen,” she corrected, and he let out a huff. It was going to take a long time to get used to addressing her as something other than “princess”.

“I am out of options, Clarke. It is only a matter of time before Azgeda declares war on Polis. I do not have enough soldiers to keep them from wiping my entire kingdom out,” he explained, pushing his chair back so he could stand up. “I need the Arkadian army too.”

“Why couldn’t you just ask for our aid instead of throwing a ridiculous marriage proposal on the table?” Clarke huffed, and Bellamy swallowed. After a few beats, she realized the answer to that question. “You don’t trust me. You think I will back out or betray you,” she accused, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Hence the need for a more permanent alliance. You wouldn’t betray your own husband,” he replied, and her eyes widened at the mention of him becoming her _husband_.

“I have no interest in becoming your _wife_ , Bellamy,” she snapped, and he let out a small chuckle. It wasn’t like he was crazy about the idea either. “Surely, there is another kingdom you could negotiate with. Perhaps you could even find a wife you like. Or your sister could marry a prince and you could get your permanent alliance that way.”

“My sister is not an option. I promised her she could marry for love. I’m not about to marry her off for an alliance after giving her my word,” he snapped, and for a moment, he swears Clarke’s eyes softened. “And despite what you might think, there aren’t a lot of neighboring kingdoms who would be willing to get into a war with Azgeda if it did not concern them.”

“Then, why do you think I would be willing to?” she asked, her tone less tense than it had been… more curious, almost.

“Because this war with Azgeda does concern you,” he replied, and she immediately rolled her eyes. “These are the people who left you to deal with the Mountain alone. They are the same people who would take out Arkadia the second they were in a better position to lay siege to it, which they would be if Polis fell and wasn’t in their way.” He could see her thinking it over as she furrowed her brows at him. He knew it would not be easy to talk her into going to war, especially with how _tired_ her people must be after their last war. But from what his ambassadors tell him, Clarke had done an excellent job building up her army in the last two years. They were _ready_ for a war, regardless of if they wanted one. All he had to do was convince her. “Nia could have helped get you out of that Mountain sooner but chose not to.”

“I didn’t need help,” Clarke refuted.  

“Nia made the order to assassinate your father,” he replied, watching her face harden at those words. “I am sure she would gladly do the same to you, given the chance.”

“Stop,” Clarke warned, taking a step closer to him. She tilted her head up to look him square in the eye, her eyes narrowing furiously up at him.

He stepped closer, not breaking eye contact as he glared back down at her. “I will once you agree,” he replied as calmly as he could. “Accept the proposal, Clarke.”

“A proposal hasn’t been made, Bellamy,” she retorted, and a groan escaped his lips. Of course, she was going to make him actually _say_ it.

“Will you—”

“On one knee,” she interrupted, and Bellamy glared back at her smirk as he got down on one knee in front of her.

“Clarke,” he huffed, hating the smug look on her face as she looked down at him. “Will you marry me?”

She pressed her lips together as she studied his face warily. Bellamy knew she didn’t trust him, at least not enough for this to be a simple decision. But the facts were on Bellamy’s side. It was in Clarke’s best interest that Azgeda did not take out Polis, which meant it made sense for her to assist Bellamy. But that didn’t change the fact that she couldn’t stand him and he couldn’t stand her.

“Will you go to war with me, Clarke?” he asked with a small smirk, noticing how her eyes narrowed decisively back at him.

“Yes,” she replied before pressing her lips together.

 

* * *

 

Bellamy knew that Clarke wouldn’t just agree to marry him right away. She had to go back to Arkadia and discuss it with her council, work out a few logistical things, and have her people look at the marriage contract. That didn’t mean he liked the idea of Clarke leaving for a few days… a few days where she could change her mind.

“You have to learn how to trust her,” Kane whispered, likely noticing the way Bellamy was glaring in Clarke’s direction as she said her goodbyes to Octavia.

“I’ll trust her when she’s actually my wife,” Bellamy muttered, watching her break away from Octavia to talk with one of the men she came with… Lincoln, he thinks his name was.

Lincoln whispered something into Clarke’s ear… something startling enough to make Clarke’s eyes go wide with panic.

“Is something wrong?” Bellamy asked as he stepped toward her, and she quickly fixed her expression to appear calm again.

“Of course not,” she lied, and he narrowed his eyes at her before looking back at Lincoln who was relaying some message to the rest of Clarke’s group.

“Are you sure?” he asked, giving her the chance to not lie to his face.

“Yes,” she said defiantly, and that didn’t sit well with Bellamy.

He didn’t say anything as they made their final goodbyes, but as soon as Clarke’s carriage was out of sight, he called Miller into the room. “I need you and your men to trail Queen Clarke. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious.”

Miller quickly took off and carried out Bellamy’s orders, leaving Bellamy to relax beside Octavia. “I like her,” Octavia said.

“You would,” he grumbled, throwing his head back. Before Octavia could argue, Kane came running into the room, slightly out of breath.

“We have a situation,” he said breathlessly.

“We just had a situation and I fixed it by proposing to Clarke. What could it possibly be now?” Bellamy snapped.

“Echo wants to meet with you, potentially to discuss peace with Azgeda,” Kane said.

“So, Bell wouldn’t have to marry Clarke,” Octavia said, leaning forward with interest. Bellamy locked eyes with Kane, knowing that it wasn’t that simple.

“Only if that is the real reason she wants to meet,” Bellamy snapped. It wouldn’t be the first time Echo had tried to lure him in with a negotiation only to betray him in the end. This could also be a way to lure a large group of his best soldiers away from the castle so Azgeda could launch an attack. “Send word that I am unable to attend,” he muttered.

“Your Majesty, with all due respect, you cannot afford to just throw away this opportunity. Meeting with her could prevent or delay the war.”

“’Could’ being the key word, Kane. This is Echo we are talking about.”

“She is not just going to kill you on sight. You’ll bring Miller and his men with you, hear her out, and return safely. The benefits outweigh the risks. And Miller’s men will not let anything happen to you.” Bellamy swallowed, knowing that last statement was true. Miller would be the only person he would trust for a task like that, but he was also the only person he trusted to keep tabs on someone as crafty as Clarke.

“I can’t bring Miller’s men. I just sent him to follow Queen Clarke,” Bellamy groaned.

“You’re already spying on her?” Octavia huffed, and Bellamy shot her a warning look. He knew what he saw. Clarke was keeping something from him, and he had every intention of finding out what it was.

“Call Miller back so you can take him to meet with Echo. You need to start trusting her anyway,” Kane ordered, and Bellamy raised an eyebrow at him.

“It is my decision,” he snapped.

“Are you sure?” he asked, and Bellamy glanced back at Octavia who had an uncertain look in her eyes. Bellamy wasn’t sure. He wasn’t some seasoned king who knew exactly what to do in every situation. He was thrown into this far too soon, having the weight of an entire kingdom relying on his ability to know what to do.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Where is your king?” she snapped, ignoring his nervous greeting. 
> 
> “Fast asleep. I am sure whatever this is can wait until morning,” he deflected, and Clarke glanced back at Lincoln and raised her eyebrows, gesturing for him to take the bag off John Murphy’s head. 
> 
> “Lord Kane, I do not like issuing threats if I do not have to,” she said calmly, stepping toward him. “But the best of your king’s men are inside my castle right now, unaware that I know they were sent to spy on me. If King Bellamy does not come explain to me personally why he betrayed me like this, I promise those men will not make it out of Arkadia alive.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! I am so glad you guys are excited about this idea and the first round of voting went off without a hitch. Going forward, I think I'm going to reduce to voting time to four days instead of five since that's when the voting basically stopped this time. I will extend the voting if you guys ask me to, though. 
> 
> Anyway, you guys voted for Miller to keep following Clarke. The final tally was 61-27.

Madi started sprinting toward Clarke as soon as the doors opened. “I missed you too,” Clarke chuckled, wrapping her arms tightly around Madi. Raven and her mother followed quickly after. Raven was grinning ear to ear, but her mother looked more concerned.

“What did King Bellamy want?” Madi asked excitedly, and Clarke looked over her shoulder to see Lincoln quietly dismissing all the guards. She had discussed it with Lincoln as they rode back from Polis, deciding it was best to keep her engagement to Bellamy a secret for now. They needed to avoid Azgeda’s anger for as long as possible… since this engagement was definitely a violation of their tentative peace. And when Monty got word that Roan was arriving to meet with Clarke, panic surged through her body. There was no way he could know just yet… but the timing of his request for a meeting was suspect.

“The room is clear,” Jasper announced, shutting the door swiftly behind him.

“As you know, Azgeda has become increasingly aggressive toward Polis,” Clarke explained, her mother’s eyes narrowing at her in concern. Clarke didn’t want to have to say they were about to go back to war again… but it was necessary. Bellamy wasn’t exaggerating when he said that Polis was the only thing standing in the way of Azgeda trying to take Arkadia. Clarke wasn’t sure she could stay on the throne for long if Polis fell. Nia would never be satisfied with just taking Polis… No, she wanted Arkadia too. “They provoked a Polis ship into attacking one of theirs, giving them all the justification they need to declare war on Polis.”

“And you explained that you have an alliance with both kingdoms and will stay out of it, correct?” her mother asked, and Clarke shot her an apologetic look.

“Polis will lose the war without our help,” Raven put the pieces together, and Clarke nodded along. Madi was now gripping on Clarke’s hand nervously, and Clarke offered her a gentle squeeze.

“And if Polis falls, nothing will stop Queen Nia from targeting Arkadia next,” Clarke said gravely, and her mother let out a sigh. “So, King Bellamy proposed, and I said yes,” Clarke blurted out, and all three of their eyes went wide as they stared at her. “He needed a more permanent alliance to know that we won’t betray him, and if I were in his position, I would probably have asked for the same thing.”

“Clarke…” her mother said, clearly arguing with herself over what Clarke just revealed. Clarke let out a sigh, knowing that there was no other choice. She had run through her options enough since the proposal was made, considering every alternative… and there was not one. Bellamy didn’t trust her, and she didn’t trust him. If a marriage was all it would take to make sure that neither country turned on each other to escape the inevitable war, so be it. Her mother would act as regent of Arkadia while the war was raging on, and when it was over, Clarke would return to Arkadia… and she and Bellamy would resume living separate lives. It would work.

“We have the marriage contract to go over, preferably before Prince Roan arrives,” Monty said before her mother could go off on Clarke.

“There will be no mention of my engagement to Bellamy to anyone outside of this room. We can’t let Azgeda get wind of this and give them the chance to prevent it,” Clarke explained, eyeing them all carefully.

“Are you prepared to lie to Prince Roan’s face when he asks you why you went to Polis after refusing to meet with King Bellamy for years?” Raven asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Let me worry about that,” Clarke sighed. Then, there was a knock on the door. Her eyes shot up to Lincoln, who had a baffled look on his face as he moved toward the door. No one was supposed to disturb this meeting… which meant this had to be pretty serious.

“I am so sorry,” she heard Atom say as Lincoln opened the door, and Clarke looked down at Madi.

“I am going to come with you to Polis, right?” she asked, and Clarke pulled her in tight for a hug.

“Of course,” Clarke reassured, knowing how much Madi hated being separated from her. “I discussed it with King Bellamy. His sister is decorating your room there as we speak,” Clarke said, loving the way Madi’s eyes lit up in response.

“Your Majesty,” Lincoln sighed, and Clarke’s eyes jumped back up to look at him. “By any chance, did King Bellamy mention sending a few of his men to make sure we returned to Arkadia safely?”

“No, he did not,” Clarke snapped, stepping toward the door.

“Apparently, he was concerned about our journey back to court and sent a few of his men to make sure nothing happened to you while traveling between Polis and Arkadia,” Atom said, and Clarke shared a skeptical look with Lincoln. This sounded more like Bellamy sending men to spy on Clarke under the guise of “protecting” her… but it wasn’t like she could just outright accuse him of that. She was _trying_ to trust him.

“Atom, please make sure King Bellamy’s men have everything they need for their stay here,” Clarke said with a smile. She turned to walk back to her mother, remembering that Prince Roan was supposed to show up at court soon. She couldn’t just let an Azgedan prince into her castle while Bellamy’s men were potentially spying on her. They would run off to Polis immediately to inform him, and he would assume she was betraying him.

“The Summer Palace is empty this time of year,” her mother whispered as soon as Lincoln and Atom resumed their conversation. “I will inform Roan to meet you there, explaining that given his situation with Polis, you do not want to startle your people by letting them think Arkadia is about to be thrown into a war.”

“Smart,” Clarke replied. “We need to come up with a way to keep Bellamy’s men busy while they are here.” The more time they had on their hands, the more likely they were to keep close tabs on Clarke… which she definitely did not need.

“Leave that to me,” Raven smirked.

 

* * *

 

Roan traveled with a few more guards than usual… which made Clarke nervous. He was waiting in one of the meeting rooms, as her mother informed him to. She shot Lincoln a reassuring glance as she stepped inside, but Lincoln still looked nervous. But Clarke had more men here than Roan did, meaning there was no way he would make it out alive if he tried anything.

“Your Majesty,” he greeted, as Clarke shut the doors behind her.

“Your Highness,” she replied, quirking an eyebrow up.

“I hope your ride here was pleasant,” he said, as he settled back down in his seat.

“I do not have time for small talk, Roan,” she snapped, and a chuckle escaped his lips. “You did not come all the way here from Azgeda while your kingdom is on the brink of war for small talk.”

“Did you get your information from your meeting in Polis?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, I did. My condolences for the loss of your ship,” she replied as she sat down, careful not to reveal much more about the nature of her visit in Polis. “Now, what are you doing in Arkadia?”

“I do not know what Bellamy told you, but we did not provoke the battle,” he snapped, and Clarke narrowed her eyes at him. Maybe he truly believed that. After all, Clarke doubted that Nia kept her son well informed about her military operations. But she did know for a fact that Azgeda would provoke such an attack. If Nia declared war without probable cause, too many kingdoms would come to Polis’ aid. She needed Polis without allies.

“Of course,” Clarke humored him, cocking her head to the side.

“We have no choice but to declare war on Polis. I am here to see if you will come to your ally’s aid,” he explained.

“I am allies with both you and Bellamy,” she replied.

“You would break your alliance with Polis and enter into a permanent one with Azgeda,” he said, narrowing his eyes at her as he leaned back in his seat. Clarke clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing inappropriately… but she could not believe that Roan was trying to do the same exact thing Bellamy was.

“Did you come to Arkadia to propose to me?” she huffed. In less than a week, two different men she could neither stand nor trust decided to propose to her… both trying to lure her into a war she desperately wanted to stay out of.

“It would be a mutually beneficial arrangement. Azgeda can be assured that you will help us in the war and will have access to your borders,” he explained, and Clarke blinked a few times. Azgeda’s plan involved attacking Polis on multiple fronts… making it nearly impossible for Bellamy to defeat them. It was a smart plan… provided they had multiple fronts to attack from. Without Arkadia, however, they would have to return to the drawing board to come up with a new strategy. “Arkadia will be safe from any future conflict with Azgeda since it will have an Azgedan king.”

Clarke swallowed, realizing what Roan was implying. “The Crown Matrimonial will not be given to you, Roan,” she snapped. Any husband of Clarke’s would have to settle for being a King Consort, nothing more. If Roan became the actual king of Arkadia, it would mean that he would keep the crown even if something happened to Clarke… giving Nia all the motive she needed to assassinate Clarke.

“Well, we can discuss that later,” Roan deflected, and Clarke furrowed her brows at him. According to his proposed alliance, Clarke would technically be free from Azgeda trying to take over her kingdom… only to be assassinated and basically hand it over to them.

Even if Clarke had been considering his proposal, this was enough to make her throw the idea out completely. She may not particularly like Bellamy, but he had no interest in taking Arkadia from Clarke. All he wanted was to protect his own kingdom, which she respected. She was not about to go back on that agreement to join forces with the people who had repeatedly betrayed Arkadia.

But she couldn’t tell Roan any of that. “I will take your offer under consideration,” Clarke said tactfully, and Roan cocked his head in confusion… as if she was truly stupid enough to fall for such a ridiculous ruse. “I cannot accept such a proposal without speaking to my advisors,” she lied. “You will hear back from me soon with my decision.”

“This is a rather time sensitive situation,” he snapped as he pushed himself up from his chair.

“I am sure you can delay declaring war officially for a bit longer,” she replied. Perhaps she could give Polis a bit more time to prepare by delaying her answer. “Tell the Queen that I will likely see her soon,” she said, and Roan raised an eyebrow at her. She would feel guilty for implying that she would go through with this decision if Nia were anyone else. But if they think Clarke will agree to their plan, they will spend more time on a strategy that involves Arkadia… meaning it will throw them off when they realize that Arkadia is fighting alongside Polis.

They offered their goodbyes as they stepped out into the hallway, and Lincoln personally escorted Prince Roan out of the vacant building.

Clarke leaned her back against the cold wall, letting out a relieved breath as soon as she heard Roan and Lincoln step outside. This was probably the first time she had actually been alone since returning from Polis, since Madi had been sleeping in Clarke’s bed every night and her mother was glued to her side during the day.

This could likely be one of the last times Clarke was alone until this war was over. She was about to be in constant proximity with Bellamy, being woken up in the middle of the night with news from the border, hardly getting a moment of peace as she, Bellamy, and the generals argued over strategy. Clarke wasn’t sure if she had another war in her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the tapestries hanging in the hallway move… almost as if there was a gust of wind. But it was too cold for any windows or doors to be open…

Quietly, she stepped toward one of the decorative armors in the hallway, stealthily grabbing the sword from it. She tiptoed down the hall, before standing right in front of it. She could hear breathing… meaning she had a spy in her midst.

Quickly, she pulled the tapestry back, launching the sword toward the man’s throat. “Who are you?” she spat, pressing the blade dangerously close to his skin.

“John Murphy,” he huffed, and Clarke pressed the blade even closer when he started to reach for his own sword.

“I wouldn’t move if I were you,” she warned, studying his face closer. She recognized him. “Are you one of Miller’s men?” she growled.

“Yes,” he confessed, and Clarke’s stomach dropped. She couldn’t say she was surprised to find him spying on her… but she had hoped she was wrong about what Bellamy was trying to do. After all, the two of them were supposed to try and trust each other, yet he sends a small battalion of men to watch her and report back to him.

“How much did you hear?” she huffed, knowing that the walls of this castle were quite thin… he likely heard her entire conversation with Roan. If she let him go, he would run straight to Bellamy, who would then assume Clarke was betraying him and call off the alliance… leaving her with only Azgeda as an option.

“If I answer that, what do I get?” he smirked, and Clarke narrowed her eyes at him.

“To keep your life, for starters,” she spat. The front door opened again, and she could hear Lincoln jogging over to her.

“What is going on?” he shouted, and Clarke shushed him.

“King Bellamy sent a spy,” Clarke explained, raising an eyebrow in Murphy’s direction.

“We will throw him into one of the isolation cells until we decide what to do with him,” Lincoln suggested, and Clarke dropped the sword from Murphy’s throat.

“No,” she said, gritting her teeth. Miller would figure out that Murphy discovered something worth being imprisoned for… meaning he would do whatever it took to figure out what it was. She could see how loyal Bellamy’s men were.

But Clarke couldn’t just execute one of Bellamy’s most trusted soldiers for spying on her. It was an easy way to guarantee that Bellamy never trusted her, and she didn’t want to punish this poor man for just following Bellamy’s orders. No, Bellamy was who deserved Clarke’s wrath, not this Murphy kid.

“Tell Jasper to inform the castle that we are returning to Polis. I need to tell Bellamy about my meeting with Roan before Miller finds out,” Clarke decided before glancing back over at Murphy. “You’re coming with us.”

 

* * *

 

It was the dead of night when they all arrived back at Polis. She was greeted by an exhausted Lord Kane, who clearly just stumbled out of his room frantically when he got word that she had arrived. “Where is your king?” she snapped, ignoring his nervous greeting.

“Fast asleep. I am sure whatever this is can wait until morning,” he deflected, and Clarke glanced back at Lincoln and raised her eyebrows, gesturing for him to take the bag off John Murphy’s head.

“Lord Kane, I do not like issuing threats if I do not have to,” she said calmly, stepping toward him. “But the best of your king’s men are inside my castle right now, unaware that I know they were sent to spy on me. If King Bellamy does not come explain to me personally why he betrayed me like this, I promise those men will not make it out of Arkadia alive.”

Kane’s eyes widened as he studied Murphy, before looking at Clarke… almost trying to decide if she was bluffing. In a way, she was. It wasn’t like she would execute those men. But she was more than capable of doing so… and Bellamy needed to be reminded of that so he wouldn’t cross her again.

“Wake him up or I will,” Clarke ordered, and Kane quickly crossed over toward the stairs, shouting off frantic orders to a few of the guards.

“Threatening your fiancé seems to be a great way to start your partnership,” Monty teased.

“He started it by sending men after me. If he had just trusted me, I would have no reason to threaten him,” she huffed.

She paced back and forth as she waited for Bellamy, getting more furious every second she waited for him. What grounds did he have to spy on her anyway? She agreed to his plan, agreed to marry him just so he knew she wouldn’t betray him. Arkadia did not have a history of betraying Polis, in fact the kingdoms had always been quite close. Queen Aurora and her mother had gotten along quite well. The only time the two kingdoms did not come through for each other was when the Mountain abducted Clarke… which she did not blame Bellamy for. His mother had just died, and he was a brand-new king with an unruly kingdom to gain control over. He could not afford to send any aid to help Clarke escape when he needed every soldier he had to quiet the rioting in the streets.

“Unhand Murphy,” she heard Bellamy growl, and Clarke whipped her head around to glare at him.

“Why would I hand over the spy I caught myself?” she snapped, and Bellamy’s jaw tensed as he looked back at Murphy. “No apology for sending them to spy on me?”

“Well, clearly he found something and I was right to,” he spat, a bit too viciously for someone who should be begging Clarke for forgiveness.

“Your Majesty,” Kane snapped beside him, his tone chastising. “Perhaps we should all take a moment to breathe and think about what we are saying.” Bellamy’s jaw clicked as he thought that over. His eyes drifted over to Clarke, still defiant as always.

“Listen to Lord Kane,” Murphy huffed. “Azgeda made an offer to her,” he warned, and Clarke watched as Bellamy’s eyes shifted from irritated to furious.

“Did you accept their offer?” he growled, stalking toward her. Clarke didn’t move from where she was standing, letting her eyes glare back into his.

“She didn’t, but she might if you keep threatening her,” Murphy shouted, and Bellamy shot him a glare. “Your Majesty,” Murphy corrected, and Bellamy’s eyes shifted back to Clarke’s.

“Follow me,” he groaned, before taking off toward the hallway.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Kane warned, and Clarke started to follow Bellamy.

“Queen Clarke,” Monty shouted.

“If he kills me, Polis is as good as gone. I will be fine,” she smirked, loving the furious huff from Bellamy at her words. Kane, Monty, and Lincoln erupted into an argument as she followed Bellamy down the hallway. He led her into the study, slamming the door behind him as soon as she was inside.

“What the hell did Azgeda offer you?” he shouted.

“A husband,” she replied. “Prince Roan, to be more specific.” His jaw clicked as he started pacing in front of her, and Clarke leaned against the bookcase and crossed her arms.

“Did you reject his proposal?” he asked, clearly trying to keep his temper under control.

“No,” Clarke replied honestly, and the fury returned to Bellamy’s eyes. “Do not give me that look. I have no intention of accepting it. I am already engaged to a different man I can’t stand,” she growled, gesturing to him.

“Then, why didn’t you reject him immediately? How am I supposed to trust you when you are keeping other potential alliances within your grasp?”

“If I rejected him right there, he would ask why,” Clarke huffed, pushing herself off the bookcase to step toward him. “Do you think it would be wise for me to reveal my alliance with you to the _Prince of Azgeda_ while there is still time for Azgeda to stop the alliance?”

Bellamy swallowed, clearly not thinking that far ahead. Of course, he hadn’t. He was too busy dealing with his bruised ego to even consider that Clarke might have reasons for what she does. It was bad enough that she had to deal with advisors and ambassadors who looked at Clarke as if she were too young to know what she is doing. Although, if she were a man, there is no way anyone would be questioning her ability to hold the throne at her age. It didn’t matter that she personally killed King Dante or that she was who took down the Mountain… no one would respect her for it. Not her nobles and ambassadors, not Prince Roan who thought she was too stupid to see right through his plan, and not her future husband.

“I told him I will give him my decision soon. Azgeda will not declare war on your kingdom until they are in the best position to attack you… meaning Nia will wait until my decision. I just bought you some more time,” Clarke explained, and Bellamy’s face was contorting with frustration. “I believe the words you are looking for are ‘thank you,’” she snapped, and Bellamy’s hands formed into fists by his side.

“Why did you lie to me?” he growled, clenching his eyes shut.

“When did I lie to you?”

“When you left Polis. Clearly, Lincoln was informing you about Prince Roan showing up. Yet, when I asked you if anything was wrong, you conveniently left that out,” he said through gritted teeth.

“That’s why you sent Miller after me,” she huffed. “Excuse me if I didn’t want to tell you, but you are proving why right now. You are overreacting to my meeting with Roan, and I knew you would.”

“And you are proving why I was right to send Miller after you,” he snapped, stepping toward her with narrowed eyes.

She tilted her head to look up at him, refusing to be the one to back down. Bellamy didn’t intimidate her, not even a little bit. “You sent spies after your future _wife_ , Bellamy,” she growled. “It was reckless, backhanded, and deceitful. You should consider yourself lucky that I am still considering my alliance with you after this betrayal of trust.”

“Oh, I should consider myself lucky that the _princess_ deigned to still speak to me,” he mocked, and Clarke shoved him backwards. His eyes widened in confusion as she hit his chest.

“Call me ‘princess’ one more time,” she shouted, and a smirk formed on his lips.

“My apologies,” he teased. “Won’t happen again, _princess_.” Clarke lunged toward him, but Bellamy caught her wrist before she could actually hit him.

“Let me go,” she growled, trying to wiggle her wrist out of his grasp.

“So that you can hit me again? Don’t think so, princess,” he snapped, the _princess_ sounding more like a hiss. His face was just a few inches away from hers, far closer than she would ever want to be with him.

“Are you truly prepared for me to walk out of Polis just because you insist on mocking me at every opportunity?” she snapped, and his eyes narrowed at her. “It is like you want me to leave, letting Azgeda take everything from you before they take your head. Is that what you want?”

“Of course not,” he snapped.

“Then, let go of my wrist,” she growled, and he let go… still not stepping away from her, though. “Stop spying on me, stop talking down to me as if I am somehow the one who got you into this mess, and _never_ call me anything other than my name or my actual title again.”

“I have conditions,” he huffed.

“This is not a negotiation,” she snapped.

“You have to tell me what you are up to. No keeping me in the dark about secret meetings with Azgedan princes,” he said, his eyes peering down at her warningly.

“Will that be enough to make you trust me?” she snorted, and his jaw clenched. “Of course not,” she groaned. “What else could I possibly do to make you believe that I am not going to betray you?” she spat.

Bellamy stepped back, running his hands through his hair as he thought that over. Clarke leaned back against the bookshelves, taking a few deep breaths that she desperately needed after that screaming match. “I need you to officially reject Roan’s proposal,” he decided, and Clarke threw her head back.

“Are you joking? If I do, Azgeda will know something is going on.”

“Not if you come up with a convincing lie to explain your rejection. Or you could tell them that you will still ally with them in the war and imply that you will consider a marriage alliance after. I just need to know that you are not going to marry Prince Roan the second I let you out of my sight,” he huffed.

“Or you could just trust me not to,” Clarke spat.

“The last time I trusted anyone, someone I loved ended up being murdered as a result,” he snapped, and Clarke felt her jaw go slack. He bit his lip as he resumed pacing in front of her, clearly a bit rattled by what he just revealed.

Clearly, him just trusting her was not an option. But she couldn’t just reject Roan’s proposal. Any false promise she made would come back to bite her, and her people would suffer. And if she told him the truth… well, the war would start immediately. She and Bellamy needed as much time as they could get to prepare.

“I can’t…” she sighed, closing her eyes as she tilted her head back.

“It is either that or you and I marry immediately. That’s the only way I can know for sure that you won’t marry Roan,” he muttered, and Clarke’s eyes flew open.

Marrying Bellamy immediately was not ideal either. Her advisors had not had the time to work through the marriage contract completely, meaning she could really screw over her kingdom if she missed something in her first read-through. Not to mention that if they married now, the news would travel to Azgeda sooner. It would give them less time to prepare than if she just rejected Roan’s proposal, but she would likely not face the wrath of Nia for dragging them along in a bigger lie.

What Clarke really needed was to talk this over with her mother… but her mother was not here. She had to make a decision now and stick to it, otherwise she and Bellamy were going to keep fighting in circles instead of actually preparing for the war against Azgeda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, it is time to vote. Does Clarke A) officially reject Roan's proposal or B) marry Bellamy immediately? You can vote in the comments section, in a reply or tag on the Tumblr post (@asroarke), or in the poll on my twitter (also @asroarke). Voting closes on March 12th at 11:59 pm CT (switching to my own timezone so I stop getting confused).


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All he had done since she arrived at Polis last time was mock her, spy on her, and make it perfectly clear that she was the last person he wanted to be in this situation with. It was no wonder she despised him. Bellamy just never thought he would care that she hated him.
> 
> “This can wait,” he whispered when she took his hand, and her jaw clenched as she looked up at him. As he gave her a once over, he realized that she had changed since earlier… likely due to the blood splatter or because she wanted to wear something that would cover her neck after what she just went through. 
> 
> “No, it can’t. You need to trust me,” she replied, raising her eyebrows at him.
> 
> “I do trust you,” he reassured, and she narrowed her eyes at him.
> 
> “No, you don’t. You don’t trust anyone, remember?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time around you guys voted for Clarke marrying Bellamy immediately (55-40).
> 
> Aaaand with that decision, the drama begins. This chapter has some nice angst, a little bedsharing, and a slight murder. Have fun!
> 
> Thanks again for all the love and support so far! I'm glad you guys are liking it, and don't forget to vote.

“You look horrible,” Octavia teased, and a groan escaped his lips. Of course, he looked horrible. He was exhausted. He only just fallen asleep when Clarke arrived in the middle of the night, dragging Murphy along so she had proof that Bellamy spied on her. And it wasn’t like Bellamy could just fall back asleep after their screaming match in the study, resulting in this plan to marry first thing in the morning. No, he spent his entire night tossing and turning, coming to grips with the realization that he was about to marry a woman who _hated_ him.

Over the years, Bellamy had gotten used to Clarke’s fiery anger. After all, he loved to pick on her when they were children. But she is not the same sparring partner he remembered. No, Clarke had been to war since he last saw her. She had lost her father. Arkadia’s crown had been thrown at her before she was ready for it.

Bellamy should have known that a girl who could survive and thrive after all that was not to be messed with. Frankly, he was just surprised that she spared Murphy.

“I had a lot on my mind last night. Didn’t sleep much,” Bellamy grumbled, and Octavia helped him fasten his jacket. He needed all the help he could get since they dismissed the servants for the next few days. It would only be until he and Clarke decided it was time to alert Azgeda about their marriage. The last thing he needed was servant gossip spreading its way across Polis to Azgeda taking away the element of surprise.

“You don’t have to go through with this,” Octavia whispered, and he glanced up at her. She knew why he was doing this, of course, but he could see the concern as she studied him. “I really don’t think Clarke will betray you.”

“She might not have before, but I did spy on her,” he sighed. He should have just trusted Clarke to begin with, instead of cornering her into an engagement to basically force her to be loyal. But Bellamy had made the mistake of trusting other leaders before and look where that got him. He regretted not getting a more concrete agreement with Azgeda, and he was not about to make the same mistake with Arkadia.

Octavia let out a sigh before walking over to sit on the edge of his bed. He only had a few minutes before he needed to attend his wedding. “Do you want to know what I learned?”

Bellamy ran his fingers through his hair, nodding silently. At this point, Bellamy really should know more about Clarke. He had spent enough time with her while growing up. But he can’t remember ever listening to what she would say… which is probably why he was so caught off guard by how clever she was.

“Lady Madi is essentially her daughter,” Octavia said, and Bellamy cocked his head in confusion. “Madi was one of the people captured by the Mountain with Clarke, and Clarke got Madi out when she escaped.” He didn’t recall ever hearing that part of the story, but it would explain how Clarke ended up with a child in her custody. “Lady Raven is her best friend and will also be arriving with Lady Madi.”

“Have you learned anything else about _Clarke_?” he huffed, and Octavia rolled her eyes at him.

“Well, I gather that no one ever wants to be in an argument with her,” she teased, and Bellamy groaned. “She’s smart.”

“I figured that much,” he muttered.

“She likes art,” Octavia offered, and Bellamy let out a sigh. So, he knew that Clarke was smart and liked art, that she has at least two people she cares about enough to bring with her, that he never wants to lose an argument to her, and that somehow, she escaped that Mountain yet has never told him how.

“I am marrying a stranger,” he realized, throwing his head back.

 

* * *

 

Bellamy was clenching his jaw as the minutes kept passing without Clarke showing up. “I will go check on her,” Kane offered, but Bellamy held up his hand.

“No, I will,” Bellamy snapped, more out of anger than anything. But he knew that Clarke was already dressed and ready… Octavia had seen her just minutes before coming to fetch Bellamy. So, there was no excuse for Clarke to be this late to their damn wedding.

He waved off his guards as he made his way down the hallway, deciding he didn’t need a lot of witnesses to him chewing her out over this. He knocked on the door in a huff, tapping his foot impatiently with every second she did not answer. “Clarke,” he snapped… but still no answer.

Bellamy’s stomach dropped when he heard a shuffling inside her room. He kept his hand on his sword as he slowly pushed the door open.

“Scream and she dies,” the man who had a knife to Clarke’s throat growled, and Bellamy’s eyes drifted to Clarke’s panicked ones.

Bellamy took a hesitant step forward but flinched when the man drew the sword closer to Clarke. “Will you put the sword down if I do the same?” Bellamy asked calmly, letting his eyes drift over the man. Bellamy was certain he had never seen him before. He was not a servant in the castle. Bellamy wasn’t even sure how the man could have gotten in. Then, he saw an insignia on the man’s shirt that Bellamy hadn’t seen in years. “You’re from the Mountain,” Bellamy realized, his eyes flashing to Clarke. This man came here to kill _her_ specifically.

“Put your sword down,” he snapped, and Bellamy slowly did as he asked.

“Don’t,” Clarke warned, and he furrowed his brows at her. Bellamy didn’t exactly have a choice right now. This man was two seconds away from slicing Clarke’s throat, and Bellamy couldn’t let that happen.

Slowly, he stepped away from the blade that was now on the floor. “Now, you put your sword down,” Bellamy said quietly. When he looked back at Clarke, her eyes flickered to something to the left before flashing back at him. She repeated that three times, and when the man nudged her forward, Bellamy quickly turned his sight to see what Clarke was trying to communicate to him. There was a small dagger sitting on her dresser and it was within Bellamy’s reach.

Clarke feigned a cough. “Quiet,” the man shouted, and Bellamy snatched the dagger quietly while he was distracted.

“I will ask you one more time to put that sword down,” Bellamy warned, clutching the dagger in his hand by his side.

The man lowered his sword slightly, not enough though. It was still dangling there inches away from Clarke’s throat. Bellamy’s eyes drifted to Clarke’s, waiting for her to find a way to tell him what to do next. Bellamy didn’t have a plan. Maybe if he had stopped to consider that the real reason Clarke was late was because she was in danger he _would_ have a plan. But he didn’t, leaving him in a situation where his only way of standing a chance in this war was about to have her throat sliced open in front of him.

Clarke raised an eyebrow with a hint of a smirk on her lips… just like she always did right before she fought Bellamy back on something. It was the same look she had just seconds before she started verbally tearing him apart last night.

“You have to know you won’t make it out of this castle alive,” Clarke spat, turning her head to look at him. A growl escaped the mans lips as he pulled her closer to him, and Clarke slammed her elbow into his stomach, causing the man to jerk away enough for Bellamy to have a clean shot. He threw the dagger as soon as Clarke ducked down, piercing the man’s chest within seconds. Clarke knocked his sword out of his hand before stumbling toward Bellamy. He caught her right before she lost her balance, keeping his hand tight around her waist so she didn’t fall.

“Did he hurt you?” Bellamy asked, scanning her face and neck for any signs of injury. Clarke shook her head as she looked back at the man. Bellamy followed her gaze, relieved that even if he weren’t already dead he would be soon.

“His name is Emerson,” Clarke whispered, stepping away from Bellamy a bit shakily. “He was supposed to be in an Azgedan prison for the rest of his life. At least, that is what Nia told me.”

“Do you know how he got in here?” Bellamy asked. Although, he knew that if Miller had been back yet something like this would not happen. This was the first time anyone had made it this far into the castle without getting caught.

“I don’t know. Maybe everyone was too distracted by the wedding being thrown together,” Clarke murmured, her eyes not leaving Emerson’s dying body.

“And it didn’t help that there are less people in the castle who would have noticed him lurking around,” Bellamy muttered. “Clarke, I am so sorry. This is my fault,” he apologized. None of this would have happened if he had just trusted Clarke from the beginning. Miller and his men would have been here to guard the castle instead of Bellamy’s less efficient guards. Clarke wouldn’t have come rushing back to Polis, furious that Bellamy spied on her. And the two of them would have never tried to get married so quickly or in a manner that dispelled enough people from the castle to allow one measly man from Mt. Weather to try to kill Clarke.

“It is not your fault that Emerson wanted me dead. That is completely my fault,” Clarke whispered, and his eyes narrowed at her. If he didn’t know any better, he would say that Clarke was her normal calm, composed self… but he had seen the panic in her eyes just moments ago and could see the way her hands were still shaking.

“Clarke—”

“What happened?” he heard Lincoln shout, and Bellamy whipped his head around to see Lincoln and Monty rushing in with panicked expressions on their face.

“King Bellamy, will you give us a moment?” Clarke asked, her eyes betraying her steely resolve. “I will meet you for the wedding in a moment.”

Bellamy blinked a few times as Lincoln rushed over to examine the body and Monty rushed to Clarke’s side. “You cannot be serious,” Bellamy muttered. “We can delay the ceremony, Clarke. You almost died.”

Monty’s head whipped in Bellamy’s direction, widening with panic. Clarke held up a hand to stop Monty before he said anything, her eyes fixed on Bellamy. “You need to marry me now so that you can trust me, remember?”

“Clarke, I trust you,” Bellamy gave in. It was clear that he needed to if the two of them were going to get through this war. Nothing good has come from him distrusting her. So, he was deciding to trust her now.

“No, you do not,” she snapped, her jaw clenching as she spoke. “Tell everyone that I will be there in ten minutes.”

Bellamy’s eyes flashed to Lincoln, who was giving him a warning look. Right, nothing good ever came from pushing Clarke. He glanced back at Clarke, who was now raising an eyebrow at him impatiently… as if this were just like any of their other arguments. But this was different. Clarke almost died right in front of him and was trying to go on about her day as if it hadn’t happened.

Bellamy walked out of the room quickly, trying to make sense why Clarke would put that steely mask back on when Lincoln and Monty clearly understood why she would be rattled. It didn’t click until Bellamy closed the door behind him and heard the first of Clarke’s sobs the second he did.

The mask was for _Bellamy_. She wasn’t going to break down in front of him.

He tried to put that realization out of his thoughts as he headed toward the ceremony. But the look in her eyes when she first pulled away from him kept flashing back every time Bellamy explained what happened to a guard or Kane.

When Clarke walked in exactly when she said she would, Bellamy realized why this bothered him so much. He was about to marry someone who would always be guarded around him. She may trust him for the alliance, but she didn’t trust him with anything else. She trusted him to save her life, but she didn’t trust him to comfort her once she was safe.

And why would she? All he had done since she arrived at Polis last time was mock her, spy on her, and make it perfectly clear that she was the last person he wanted to be in this situation with. It was no wonder she despised him. Bellamy just never thought he would care that she hated him.

“This can wait,” he whispered when she took his hand, and her jaw clenched as she looked up at him. As he gave her a once over, he realized that she had changed since earlier… likely due to the blood splatter or because she wanted to wear something that would cover her neck after what she just went through.

“No, it can’t. You need to trust me,” she replied, raising her eyebrows at him.

“I do trust you,” he reassured, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

“No, you don’t. You don’t trust anyone, remember?” she replied, before turning forward to nod at Titus. Bellamy swallowed as he turned forward as well. He knew that wasn’t true. He trusted Kane, Miller, and Octavia. Murphy too, but that depended more on the day. He wanted to trust Clarke. But he also wanted to trust Echo once upon a time, and now Gina was gone. Bellamy knew Echo and Clarke were not the same… but he also knew that like Echo, Clarke would do whatever it took to protect her own people. He was not sure if she thought of him as one of her own people, though.

He nodded to Titus, who began giving them instructions. This was not an elaborate ceremony, a far cry from what royals normally did for their weddings. There would be time for something more proper when there was not a war on the horizon. All Bellamy and Clarke really needed was to sign their names on the marriage contract anyway.

Bellamy’s hand was a bit shaky when he signed his name, and he could feel all the eyes in the room on him. When he handed the quill over to Clarke, she took it without hesitation, signing her name quickly… making her his _wife_.

 

* * *

 

He waited until late in the evening to return to his room… trying to minimize the amount of time he spent alone with Clarke. The two of them did not speak for the rest of the day. Bellamy had to attend to the Emerson situation and Clarke had her own work to do. He kept telling himself that she was not avoiding him, but he knew better. And he was avoiding her too. But avoiding his _wife_ would be difficult since he literally had to share a bed with her each night.

Luckily, when he stepped into the room, Clarke was already fast asleep. He tiptoed in, pulling his boots off as quietly as he could since he had no idea if Clarke was a light sleeper or not. When she turned onto her side, Bellamy froze in a panic.

After a few seconds of silence, he resumed getting ready for bed. Clarke didn’t stir as he slid into bed beside her. She was lying as close to the edge of the bed as she could possibly be without falling off, and Bellamy did the same, not wanting to invade her personal space.

The only person he had ever shared a bed with was Octavia, and that was when they were both children and she would have nightmares at night. That was comfortable, something Bellamy was only alright with doing because of how close he and his sister have always been. But this… sharing a bed with a woman who was lying as far away from him as she possibly could… it was awkward.

Bellamy lied very still, nervous about waking her up with his regular tossing and turning. Somehow, he did drift off into a dreamless sleep.

When he woke up again, it was still dark outside. He lifted his head up, only momentarily confused by the messy blonde hair beside him. He quickly replayed the events of the last two days in his head… reminding himself that this was Clarke, his _wife_. He buried his face back into his pillow as that realization sank in. Right when he started to relax again, he realized that the pillow smelled like her, and he jerked his head back up. He glanced back at Clarke, whose back was still facing him, and realized she was much closer to him than she was when he fell asleep.

He sat all the way up, seeing that Clarke was still on the edge of the bed… meaning it was Bellamy who moved in his sleep. Bellamy wasn’t even on his side of the bed anymore.

He squirmed over to his side in a huff, arguing to himself that it was probably just because it was a cold night and his subconscious wanted to move toward the warmth. His eyes jerked back open at the realization that he might do that again the next time he fell asleep… and Clarke might wake up before he could correct it.

Bellamy rolled out of bed quickly, throwing his shirt over his head and grabbing his boots as he made his way toward the door. It was clear he was not going to sleep any more tonight, so he might as well work on his war strategy.

 

* * *

 

“He was one of Mt. Weather’s generals,” Murphy explained as Dax nodded along, and Bellamy rubbed his eyes. Clarke had told him as much but was very evasive when Bellamy asked how Emerson even recognized her. “When Azgeda was backing out of its agreement with Arkadia, Emerson and his men attacked them, likely mistaking them for Arkadians.”

“Or unaware that Azgeda was leaving the war,” Bellamy sighed, and Murphy nodded along. This would have been around the time that Clarke was still trapped in the Mountain if his timeline was correct.

“The Azgedan troop executed all his men, before bringing him to an Azgedan prison,” he continued, and Bellamy pressed his lips together. Any man of his that wound up in an Azgedan prison did not make it out alive… so how did Emerson?

Bellamy turned to look at Kane who had a pensive look on his face. “Is there a possibility that Nia let Emerson escape on purpose?” Bellamy asked, and Kane swallowed.

“If she did, it was not to do harm to _us_ ,” he replied, and Bellamy clenched his eyes shut at the memory of the murderous look on Emerson’s face as he held that sword to Clarke’s throat. “ _If_ Nia released him, and that is a big if, it could have been to coerce Queen Clarke into accepting Prince Roan’s proposal. People who are scared after being attacked are more likely to accept another’s protection.”

“But he did not attack her in Arkadia. He attacked her here,” Bellamy huffed, wondering how it was even leaked that Clarke was back in Polis again. He had trustworthy people working under him, and anyone who was not trustworthy left the castle per his instruction. “Somehow, he found out and broke into the castle.” Murphy and Dax exchanged a confused look, and Bellamy let out a sigh.

“Regardless of how she was attacked, we have another problem we need to consider,” Kane groaned, and Bellamy raised an eyebrow. “Azgeda likely released a dangerous prisoner into our kingdom and did not warn us.”

“Well, he was on his way to Arkadia. He has no qualms with Polis as far as we know,” Dax interjected. He had a point. Emerson did not harm anyone else inside the castle walls. So, if Azgeda did release him, it was a clear threat to Arkadia, not Polis.

“But the attack happened here. Who gives a damn about intent?” Murphy huffed, and Bellamy furrowed his brows.

“Because the attack happened here it is an act of war,” Bellamy realized, burying his face into his hands.

“Well,” Kane murmured, and Bellamy’s head shot up. “Diplomatically speaking, it does not have to be.”

“I’m listening.”

“We sunk their ship, and they released a combative criminal who could have murdered many people into our kingdom. Perhaps we could negotiate a temporary peace since our wrongs against each other are relatively equal at the moment,” he suggested, and Bellamy had to fight not to roll his eyes. “Obviously, this would not stop a war… but it could buy us more time.”

Bellamy let out a huff. He could use all the additional time he could get. He was still waiting on supplies from Ilian to arrive, on top of Clarke’s men needing time to mobilize fully. And if this war were to get out of control, Nia would want to be in a position where she seemed like the reasonable one so that their mutual allies would drop Bellamy in favor of her… so she would have to accept the temporary peace to save face.

“So, what? Bellamy is just going to go meet with Echo and pray she doesn’t stab him in the back this time?” Murphy huffed, and Kane let out a sigh.

“Well, he would obviously wait until Miller comes back,” Kane replied, and Bellamy pushed his seat back to stand up.  “Where are you going?”

“I need to think,” Bellamy snapped as he marched out of the study.

Bellamy was not sure where his gut was lying at this point.

On one hand, Kane’s plan could work. Even if Azgeda did not intentionally release Emerson, he still escaped on their watch, and he attacked someone in Bellamy’s castle. Bellamy could spin it as an act of war, meaning none of their mutual allies would assist Azgeda over him. That was an advantage that Nia did not want him to have. And he knew he still had time before Azgeda first attacked because Roan was still waiting on Clarke’s answer on his proposal, unaware that she has already married Bellamy in secret. This could delay the fighting long enough to put Bellamy’s men in a better position to succeed and to get Clarke’s here in time.

But Bellamy was not sure it was a good idea to reveal to Azgeda that a lone prisoner managed to break into his allegedly impenetrable castle. On top of that, he was not confident that he could safely attend a meeting with Echo to discuss the matter. She had tricked him too many times before, and she could do it again. He could be lulled into thinking the temporary peace was agreed upon only to be attacked the very next day. Perhaps it would be better to just ignore the issue of Emerson altogether...

Although, if he did that, Azgeda might try it again. And while Emerson did not have a grudge against Polis, Azgeda could have many prisoners in their custody who did.

He was so rattled in his circular argument that he did not realize he had walked back into his room. “Don’t think too hard. Your brain isn’t used to it,” Clarke teased, and he threw his head back with a groan.

“I didn’t know you were in here,” he mumbled, crossing over toward the window Clarke was sitting beside.

“I am not allowed to leave the castle or else someone might see me and realize that I am here instead of in Arkadia. So, where else would I be?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. There was an agitation in her voice, one he sympathized with. She was clearly frustrated about being trapped in this castle.

“I ordered Miller and his men to come back. They will be here tomorrow,” Bellamy said, and Clarke returned her attention to the book in her lap. “They will be accompanying Lady Madi and Lady Raven,” he added in, and she slammed the book shut as her eyes lit up with excitement. It was a relief to see her smile, especially with how cold and distant she had been following the attack. Guilt had been building up in his chest over the last few days, since the attack never would have happened if Bellamy had been more reasonable. But there was nothing he could do to fix it now. The only thing he could do was bring in the people Clarke actually _wanted_ by her side for comfort.

“They weren’t supposed to arrive for another few weeks,” Clarke said, the concern already flashing in her eyes.

“Miller will take them to a safe house not far from here so no one knows they are here either. They’ll arrive in the dead of night when even the nosier citizens of Polis will be asleep,” he explained. Clarke nodded along as she leaned back, and Bellamy let out a breath.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” he teased, and she leaned forward to swat his arm. “You’re welcome,” he said more seriously once his chuckles were under control.

Clarke glanced back out the window, and the two of them fell into a comfortable silence. His mind finally went back to the Emerson problem, frustrated that there wasn’t one _good_ choice. “You are going to give yourself a headache,” Clarke warned. When she turned to look at him, the teasing look in her eyes melted away. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just trying to figure out what to do about Emerson,” Bellamy sighed, resting his head against the wall.

“I’m pretty sure you already figured that out when you threw a dagger at him,” Clarke retorted, and he narrowed his eyes at her.

“You know what I mean,” he groaned, and Clarke pressed her lips together. “What would you do?”

“Why are you asking me? You have advisors for this sort of thing,” Clarke replied, cocking her head to the side.

Bellamy turned his shoulders so that he was actually facing her now. “Perhaps you have some insight my advisors do not,” he conceded, and she snorted in response. He fought the urge to tell her the real reason he was asking. After all, she was attacked, likely because of Bellamy’s decisions. Maybe it could have been avoided, maybe not… but he was going to war _with_ Clarke by his side, meaning he needed to work with her. Every decision that was made impacted her as much as it impacted him, and he needed to start acting like it by including her in the process.

“Well, that is the nicest thing you have ever said to me,” Clarke muttered.

“Clarke,” he said seriously, and her eyes finally met his. “I don’t know what to do,” he confessed, and her eyes softened at that admission.

“Bellamy,” she whispered.

“What do I do?” he pleaded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so what do we do this time guys? Does Clarke tell Bellamy to A) propose the temporary truce with Echo and Nia or B) ignore Emerson's attack and go on as planned? You can vote in the comments section, in a reply or tag on the Tumblr post (@asroarke), or in the poll on my twitter (also @asroarke). Voting closes on March 17th at 10 pm Central Time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So, do you normally have bad aim or was that last shot just a fluke?” she teased, and his jaw clicked. 
> 
> “I have good aim,” he snapped as he began to line up his shot. “Watch and learn.” 
> 
> Clarke folded up the letter and slid it into her pocket before crossing her arms to watch him take the shot. When he released the next arrow, it landed several inches away from the target. “Still watching,” she teased. 
> 
> “I’m sorry, can you do better?” he snapped, her teasing clearly getting a rise out of him. 
> 
> “I’m sure it was just the wind,” she teased, as she turned to walk back toward the castle.
> 
> “It was!” Bellamy shouted, and as Clarke approached Miller, he was struggling to keep from laughing. 
> 
> “I swear, he normally does have excellent aim,” Miller chuckled, and Clarke glanced back to watch Bellamy line up another shot… before missing again and swearing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time around you guys voted to ignore Emerson's attack and go on as planned (30-27). This chapter is less dramatic but still fun. FYI, in case we ever do get a tie in this (which we almost did this time around) I've decided that I will break the tie with a coin flip to keep it unbiased. 
> 
> Hope you guys are still enjoying this and don't forget to vote at the end!

“What happened?” Madi asked, a panic in her eyes that Clarke was all too familiar with. Clarke’s hand instinctively moved toward her throat, her thumb tracing over the small bruise that still remained from the attack.

“A very bad man broke into the castle,” Clarke sighed. She was going to leave out the specifics. The last thing Madi needed to hear was that someone from Mt. Weather was able to attack Clarke. The girl’s nightmares had only just started to subside. “Nothing bad happened to me, though. Bellamy saved me,” Clarke reassured, rubbing Madi’s arm up and down to sooth her.

“He kept you safe?” she asked, and Clarke bit her lip. She knew that Madi had all sorts of uncertainties about this alliance and Bellamy. Clarke did as well, but Madi didn’t need Clarke’s concerns in her head. What Madi really needed to know was that she was safe in Polis.

“He kept me safe,” Clarke replied. “And he will keep you safe too.” Clarke leaned against Madi’s headboard, and Madi leaned into her side. “You need to get some sleep. You and Raven had a long day.”

“I have more questions,” she murmured, and a chuckle escaped Clarke’s lips. Of course, she did. “What is he like?”

Clarke swallowed, not sure how to answer that question. Madi had briefly met Bellamy when she first arrived an hour ago, but she was too focused on Clarke to really register him being there. “Well, he is very…” Clarke trailed off, trying to come up with a nice way to say stubborn and argumentative, “assertive.” Madi furrowed her brows up at her, but Clarke was at a loss for what else to say. Bellamy was essentially a stranger to her, despite her knowing him for years. What she actually knew about him was based entirely on what she knew about the people close to him. His men would do anything for him, so clearly there was something about him that inspired such loyalty. And then there is the devotion to his sister, something all too rare in Clarke’s opinion. He was the kind of man who chose to put himself in a loveless marriage so that his sister could find happiness on her own terms. “I think he has a big heart,” Clarke finally offered. “Maybe it’s just reserved for the people close to him, though.”

“So, he’s a good guy,” Madi whispered sleepily, and Clarke rested her head on top of hers.

“Yes,” Clarke conceded. He may get on her nerves and distrust her, but overall, he is a good guy. He saved Clarke from Emerson. He brought Madi and Raven to Polis early just for Clarke, without her even asking. He had the kind of loyalty from those close to him that was earned, not given to him by his title. “Don’t worry about Bellamy.”

“I’m not worried about Bellamy. I’m worried about you,” she murmured, and Clarke felt a sharp pang in her chest at those words.

“You don’t need to worry about me. You know why?” she asked, and a small grin tugged at Madi’s lips. “Because I have you. I have Raven and Lincoln. I have Monty and Jasper. I have my whole family right here. That’s all I need to be happy.”

Madi turned onto her side, nuzzling her head against Clarke’s arm. Clarke waited quietly as she slowly drifted off to sleep, before carefully detangling herself from Madi.

The hallway was quiet, something Clarke was still not used to. She had never stayed in such an empty castle before. Arkadia was always bustling with servants and guards at every corner, especially after the war with Mt. Weather. It was kind of a nice change, although she shouldn’t get used to it. As soon as news of their marriage leaked out, the servants would all be welcomed back.

Quietly, she opened her bedroom door, surprised to see that Bellamy was still awake. “Were you waiting for me?” Clarke asked, furrowing her brows in confusion at the sight of Bellamy sitting up on their bed.

“No, I’m just not tired just yet,” he replied, a little too defensively. Clarke gave him a once over, seeing just how dark the circles under his eyes had become. No, he was exhausted enough to fall right to sleep, meaning he was lying. He stayed up to wait for her.

Clarke grabbed her nightgown from the dresser before stepping behind the divider, still feeling uncomfortable with sharing a room with Bellamy. She had hardly ever shared a room with another person in her life, the exception being her time in the Mountain and when Madi would crawl into her bed in the dead of night. Clarke had grown accustomed to having a space that was entirely hers.

“Are you certain about us not meeting with Azgeda about Emerson?” Bellamy called out to her, and Clarke clenched her eyes shut.

“You do not want Nia knowing that one prisoner managed to break into your castle, Bellamy,” Clarke sighed as she finally got her corset off. “That alerts her to a serious vulnerability.”

“I just…” she heard Bellamy trail off, and Clarke swallowed. She knew that her advice didn’t sit well with him, which made it even more confusing when he followed it. “Emerson attacked you, Clarke.”

Clarke pulled the nightgown over her head quickly and stepped out so that she could get a good look at his face. He looked just as frustrated as he had been since they first had this conversation. “And you killed him before anything happened to me,” she reminded, and his eyes dropped down to her neck.

“That’s not…” he muttered, and Clarke climbed into her side of the bed in a huff.

“You didn’t have to take my advice, Bellamy. I just think making Nia aware of the situation will make things worse, potentially lead to more attempts to break into the castle,” Clarke sighed, turning her head on her pillow to look over at him.

Bellamy’s jaw clenched as he looked back at her. “He attacked you, and you want me to do nothing in response to that,” he said in a strained voice, and Clarke bit her lip. Maybe this was an easier decision for Clarke because she had gone through everything with Mt. Weather before, whereas Bellamy’s war experience was restricted to the one within his kingdom’s borders. Clarke learned a long time ago to pick and choose her battles, that not every crime committed against her required immediate retaliation.

But she didn’t know why Bellamy was so worked up about it. He wasn’t fixating on the fact that it happened in his castle. No, he was fixating on the fact that Clarke was attacked and that this action needed some sort of consequence. Maybe it was just because his alliance was threatened. If Clarke had died, his plan for defeating Azgeda would have died with her.

“You killed him. It’s done,” she replied.

“But Azgeda allowed this to happen. And we are just letting this go,” he snapped.

“Bellamy,” she huffed, tired of going around in circles on this issue. “We are not letting it go. We are waiting for the right moment. Attempting a temporary truce would have been futile. It might have bought us a few more days… if Nia even agreed to it.”

Clarke turned on her side, now facing away from him. She heard him blow out the candle before settling down on the other side of the bed. “If something like this happens again,” he started.

“It won’t,” Clarke whispered, praying she was right.

 

* * *

 

When Raven walked in, Clarke raised an eyebrow at her, wondering where Madi was. As if reading her thoughts, Raven said, “She is with Octavia right now, getting a grand tour of the castle. She’s very excited about it.”

Clarke let out a sigh of relief before turning around to look back at Roan’s letter. “Did my mother have any advice?” Clarke asked, and Jasper started tapping his fingers on the table nervously.

“No, but she did seem skeptical that you could keep stringing Azgeda along,” Jasper replied, and Raven took the seat beside him.

“Well, I need to keep this up until at least half of my men make it to Polis,” Clarke sighed. A storm had come in this week in Arkadia, delaying their arrival significantly. Bellamy didn’t seem particularly nervous about it, but he also didn’t know how smart Prince Roan was. Roan would be able to sense something was up if Clarke did not handle this correctly.

“Just write him and say that you’re having a hard time making up your mind and need more time, I guess,” Jasper murmured, and Clarke glanced over at Raven who was smirking.

“No, he knows you,” Raven said, her grin growing as she spoke. “He knows that you don’t trust him. Play on that. Tell him that you are doing a full investigation into what he is told you and refuse to answer until you have all the facts. He would believe that.”

“I mean, that’s basically what I suggested,” Jasper huffed, and a giggle escaped Clarke’s lips. She reached to grab the quill, before writing out the most passive aggressive and borderline accusatory letter she could, making sure to sprinkle in that she thought Bellamy was lying to her as well to give Roan some hope that she might choose his side.

“Nia will be furious when she reads this,” Clarke chuckled.

“She will be furious that you’re actually smart. But if you said anything else, they wouldn’t believe any of it was true,” Raven teased, and Clarke let out a sigh of relief. This would work. As soon as she was about to put her seal on it, she hesitated.

“I should probably talk to Bellamy before I send this,” she realized. The last thing she needed was him discovering that she sent a letter to Roan and jumping to the conclusion that somehow, she was betraying him. With a sigh, she pushed herself up and took the letter out into the hallway. Miller was standing outside her study, likely per Bellamy’s order. Clarke rarely went anywhere in this castle without one of his men being on the lookout for her.

“Sir Miller,” Clarke said, and Miller had a nervous expression on his face. He and the rest of his men had been avoiding Clarke since they returned to Polis, likely fearing her anger over the fact that they were spying on her. But Clarke didn’t blame them. She blamed Bellamy. They were just loyal and following orders. “Where is the king?”

“I will take you to him,” he said, and Clarke fought the urge to roll her eyes. All she wanted was to know where he was. She really did not need a personal escort. No one was about to attack her in broad daylight. But she kept her mouth shut. Miller was just following Bellamy’s orders, and Bellamy was just paranoid about a potential second intruder.

Miller led her out into the courtyard where Bellamy was practicing with his bow and arrow. She learned from Octavia that it was what he did when he needed to clear his mind. As Clarke approached, the arrow went flying through the air quickly… but his aim was a bit off. When he saw her, he let the bow drop to the ground.

“I thought you might want to read the letter I’m sending to Roan before I send it,” Clarke explained, and he narrowed his eyes at her.

“I don’t need to read it. I trust you,” he huffed, and this time Clarke actually did roll her eyes.

“Do you spy on everyone you trust?” she teased, and he threw his head back with a groan.

“I apologized for that,” he snapped.

“No, you never did,” she reminded, raising an eyebrow at him. “In fact, you went so far as to say you were right to spy on me. Now, read this so that you know I am not plotting against you,” she smirked, and he snatched the letter from her hands in a huff.

As he looked over it, Clarke glanced over her shoulder to see Miller still watching her carefully. Then, Bellamy’s laughter caught her attention and she turned back around. “Queen Nia is going to throw a tantrum when she reads this,” he chuckled, and Clarke burst out laughing too. “Oh look, apparently you are investigating my claims as well and find me to be untrustworthy,” he read off, raising an eyebrow playfully. “You know, most men would not react well to their wife writing about them like this.”

“Well, you aren’t most men and you know that I am lying to Nia,” Clarke huffed, snatching the letter back out of his hands. Bellamy rolled his eyes as he picked his bow up off the ground. “So, do you normally have bad aim or was that last shot just a fluke?” she teased, and his jaw clicked.

“I have good aim,” he snapped as he began to line up his shot. “Watch and learn.”

Clarke folded up the letter and slid it into her pocket before crossing her arms to watch him take the shot. When he released the next arrow, it landed several inches away from the target. “Still watching,” she teased.

“I’m sorry, can you do better?” he snapped, her teasing clearly getting a rise out of him.

“I’m sure it was just the wind,” she teased, as she turned to walk back toward the castle.

“It was!” Bellamy shouted, and as Clarke approached Miller, he was struggling to keep from laughing.

“I swear, he normally does have excellent aim,” Miller chuckled, and Clarke glanced back to watch Bellamy line up another shot… before missing again and swearing.

 

* * *

 

Clarke woke up to a shifting of the bed. She popped her head up sleepily to see Madi crawling in beside her. “What’s going on?” Clarke murmured, sliding over so Madi had more room.

“I just…” Madi stuttered out tearfully, and Clarke knew she had another nightmare. Clarke pulled Madi into her, wincing as Madi heaved into Clarke’s chest.

“It’s okay. It was just a dream,” Clarke whispered, and she felt Bellamy shift next to her. She glanced over her shoulder at him, barely making out the sight of him rubbing his eyes in confusion. Clarke felt guilty that they were waking him up. She probably needed to just start spending the night in Madi’s room for the time being… but she also wanted to be in here in case an emergency arose, and someone came to alert Bellamy about it.

“No, it wasn’t. This one actually happened,” Madi mumbled, and Clarke felt her own eyes threaten tears at the realization that her dream was actually just a memory from the Mountain.

“But we’re here now. We are okay,” Clarke murmured into her hair before kissing the top of her head. She could hear Bellamy breathing beside her, not as slow as it was when he was asleep. She let herself steal a glance back at him as Madi got settled into Clarke’s side, seeing him watch the two of them with concern in his eyes. But he didn’t say anything. He just lied there quietly as Clarke murmured reassurances to Madi until she fell back asleep.

“How long has she been having nightmares like this?” Bellamy whispered after Madi has been asleep for a few minutes.

“Since we got out of the Mountain… but she hasn’t had them in a long time,” Clarke sighed, worried that knowing Clarke got hurt brought back some of those memories from Mt. Weather. “I think finding out about Emerson scared her.”

“It scared everyone, Clarke,” he replied, and Clarke turned to look at him, his gaze serious and piercing, even in the dark. “Even you.”

Clarke swallowed as she turned her head back toward Madi. “Well, Emerson is dead now. So, there’s no reason to be scared about that,” she decided. “And I’m sure in the next few days, Madi will calm down again and the nightmares will subside. I’m sorry we woke you up.”

“It’s okay,” he said softly. “If it will make her feel better, just let her come sleep in here.”

Clarke nodded as she rested her head on top of Madi’s. After a few seconds, Bellamy slid farther away, giving Clarke a bit more space. When she heard his breathing even out again, she finally let herself close her eyes and drift off to sleep.

Early in the morning, she woke up to Madi shifting away, murmuring something about trying to go sleep in her own bed. Clarke was barely awake enough to register the words, only humming in response before turning onto her other side.

A few hours later, Clarke woke up to the sound of knocking on the door. She kept her eyes shut, praying that if she ignored it she could get a few more hours of sleep. It wasn’t until she felt Bellamy groan that her eyes jerked open. No, she didn’t just _hear_ Bellamy groan. She _felt_ that groan rumble through his chest. Somehow while she was sleeping, she ended up resting her head on Bellamy’s chest.

She jerked away quickly, seeing that Bellamy had gravitated toward her side of the bed. At least this wasn’t _entirely_ her fault.

“This is important,” she heard Lincoln shout through the door, and Clarke shook her head, trying to forget the fact that she ended up snuggled up with Bellamy last night. She got up and grabbed her robe quickly, and Bellamy rolled out of bed too, patting both sides of his face to try and wake up.

Bellamy went to answer the door, his hair still messy from sleep, and Kane and Lincoln both came in. “We have a problem,” Lincoln explained, looking right at Clarke.

“Why don’t you ever come in here saying, ‘we have a solution?’” she groaned, and Bellamy snorted.

“It’s about the storm in Arkadia,” Lincoln said seriously, holding a letter with her mother’s seal on it. Clarke snatched it quickly, reading her explanation that none of the men she was trying to get to Polis would be able to make it within the week because of the storm blowing through the central part of Arkadia.

“My men won’t make it this week,” Clarke sighed, and Bellamy’s eyes widened in panic.

“Azgeda is already preparing across the border. Our spies say they are just waiting for an order and they can attack,” Bellamy huffed, and Clarke’s eyes jumped up to Lincoln, praying he had some kind of answer.

“Your Majesty, you do not currently have an army that can get here as quickly as you want them here,” Lincoln apologized. Clarke threw her head back in frustration. She was furious that there weren’t enough soldiers stationed in the southern part of Arkadia, soldiers that could actually arrive at Polis safely.

“May I make a suggestion that you are not going to like?” Kane asked Bellamy, and Clarke saw Bellamy’s jaw clench. “Lord Pike has a private army.”

“No,” Bellamy spat.

“Who is Lord Pike?” Clarke asked, and Bellamy clenched his eyes shut.

“A nobleman who has built up a private army in reaction to the civil war that broke out a few years ago,” Kane explained calmly.

“A nobleman I don’t trust,” Bellamy huffed, and Clarke cocked her head in confusion.

“A nobleman whose misinformation led to a massacre,” Miller shouted from the doorway, and Clarke’s eyes flew to Bellamy, whose face was contorting in pain at those words.

“How big is his army?” Clarke asked Kane.

“Not enough to win a war with, otherwise we would have gone to him first. But large enough to hold Azgeda off while your men arrive,” Kane explained.

“Surely, there is someone else who has a private army that we could reach out to first,” Bellamy snapped.

“Well,” Lincoln murmured, and Clarke furrowed her brows at him. If Arkadia had someone like that, it would need to be someone in the southern part so the men could get here in time. But the only noble family in that region was…

“No,” Clarke snapped in realization.  

“The Collins family has some of the finest soldiers I know. Monty and Jasper used to be with them,” Lincoln pleaded, and Clarke’s jaw clenched.

“I am not asking Lord Collins for help,” Clarke spat.

“Who is Lord Collins?” Bellamy asked.

“No one,” Clarke snapped at the same time that Lincoln said, “Her former fiancé.”

Bellamy leaned back, raising an eyebrow at her. Okay, so she probably should have mentioned this to him, but Finn Collins was relatively unimportant, not even a threat. Her engagement lasted less than a week before she found out about his prior arrangement with Raven. “I think the Queen and I need the room,” Bellamy said, and Clarke clenched her eyes shut as everyone else scurried out of the room. “You know, it breaks my heart to think that you might have married someone else before I got the chance to.”

“Finn Collins is a liar and I don’t trust him. We cannot ask him for help,” Clarke pleaded.

“You say that as if Charles Pike would be a better option,” Bellamy snapped. Clarke pushed away from the table to start pacing. Neither of them were good options.

“Would Pike be loyal to you, to Polis?” Clarke asked, and Bellamy bit his lip.

“Yes,” he groaned. “He is all about protecting his people. I just have fears about what he is willing to do for it. Would Collins help?”

“He would if I begged for his forgiveness despite not doing anything wrong,” Clarke grumbled. He would probably want something from her too. And Clarke didn’t like the idea of having him around while Raven was here. “He is not exactly honest with the crown, though. He tends to think he knows better than I do, disobeying direct orders in lieu of what he thinks is right. There is a reason I never considered him for assistance on this. I am not sure he and his men would go along with our plans.”

“Clarke,” Bellamy sighed, and Clarke turned to look at him as he walked up to her. “Your letter bought us some time, but all it takes is for one tiny rumor of our alliance to get to Azgeda to provoke Nia into attacking. We need support on the border now, and your soldiers won’t get here until next week.”

“I know,” she whispered. “Is there no one else?”

“No one with enough men who can get here that quickly,” Bellamy replied. “So, which dishonest man do we beg for help?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally cannot wait to see how you guys vote this time around. Do Bellamy and Clarke enlist A) Charles Pike or B) Finn Collins to assist them? You can vote in the comments section, in a reply or tag on the Tumblr post (@asroarke), or in the poll on my twitter (also @asroarke). Voting closes on March 22nd at 9 pm Central Time.
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are always appreciated.
> 
> Edit: so after reading some of the comments and votes, I would like to point out a few things about this choice. Both options will affect Bellamy way more than they affect Clarke. And while Bellamy does not explicitly say that Pike will want something for his services, he will. Neither Finn nor Pike will help just out of the goodness of their heart. I’m not saying this to sway your vote one way or another. I just saw a lot of comments saying they were worried about what Finn would want or that they thought a certain choice would hurt Clarke more than the other, and I wanted to clear the air on that and say that Finn and Pike will both ask for something and both of them will have a strong effect on Bellamy, not so much Clarke.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy chose to ignore her, especially because now he could see Clarke beginning to speak finally and the cheerful expression on Collins’ face drop slowly. Then, Clarke reached over and touched his shoulder, and Bellamy’s jaw clenched. 
> 
> “Oh my God,” Octavia said. 
> 
> “I know,” he groaned, frustrated that her hand lingered a bit longer than she should have if she was just comforting him. 
> 
> “No, you,” Octavia snapped, and he jerked his head in her direction. “You are jealous.”
> 
> “That is ridiculous,” Bellamy huffed, turning back to look at Clarke who had now stepped away from Collins. “What would I be jealous of?” It wasn’t like Collins was a threat to anyone. He was just some Arkadian lord. Bellamy was a king, for God’s sake. Plus, Lord Collins didn’t successfully marry Clarke, Bellamy did. There was absolutely nothing to be jealous of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time around, you guys voted to work with Finn Collins instead of Charles Pike (51-44). So, get ready for some jealous Bellamy, badass Clarke, and some Bellamy and Madi bonding! 
> 
> Don't forget to vote at the end!

No one tried to stop him as he stomped down the hallway. Everyone likely heard the argument he and Clarke just had and knew not to try to calm him down. And he had to get out of there before he snapped at Clarke. It wasn’t like Bellamy was _happy_ about her former fiancé being who they decided to reach out to. But Lord Collins was a much better option than Lord Pike. Bellamy was prepared to do just about anything to win this war but not that. Polis had lost too many innocents because of Charles Pike. So, if putting up with Finn Collins for a short while was the price to pay to ensure that Pike stayed out of this war, it was a price Bellamy would have to be willing to pay.

He opened the library door in a huff, relieved that he had at least one place in this castle that no one else would venture into. But as soon as he closed the door behind him, he heard a quiet sneeze. “Bless you,” he said, searching the room until he spotted Madi propped up by the window with a book in her lap.

“Thank you,” she mumbled, not even taking her eyes off her book. Okay, so Bellamy wouldn’t be completely alone… but it wasn’t like having Madi around was a problem. He was avoiding people… the kind who would interrogate him about war plans and question his decisions. Madi wouldn’t do that. She only ever asked him about the books he had in his room or if he would teach her how to shoot that “arrow thing.” He rolled his eyes at the memory of Clarke chiming in about him not having good aim last time Madi asked.

So, Bellamy plopped down on one of the seats on the other side of the room, leaving Madi to her book while he flipped through book after book, trying to find something to distract himself from everything that just transpired. But it didn’t work. He would stop reading and let his mind drift to the quick way that Clarke tried to shoot down Finn Collins as an option. Then, he started wondering why Clarke didn’t tell him about Finn Collins in the first place… They were engaged. It wasn’t like it was _nothing_.

Although, Bellamy didn’t know why he cared. It wasn’t like Collins was a threat to their marriage or anything. “Madi,” Bellamy said, shutting his book. “What do you know about Lord Collins?”

Madi stuck her finger into the book before shutting it. “Are you going to tell anyone what I say?”

“I won’t tell Clarke,” he reassured, and Madi narrowed her eyes at him as she thought this over. “I promise. This conversation can be our secret.”

“I don’t like Lord Collins,” Madi blurted out. “He talks too much.”

“Okay, but what do you know about his engagement to Clarke?” he asked.

“Uh, well, I know they were friends growing up,” Madi said, and Bellamy pressed his lips together. “They got really close before she got taken by the Mountain. But I think while we were there, he got engaged to Raven.”

Bellamy blinked a few times, not sure he heard that last part correctly. “I’m sorry, Lady Raven? The same Raven who is here?”

“Yes,” Madi replied, setting her book aside as she sat up straighter. “When I asked her about it, she said that Finn assumed she was going to die in the Mountain. I mean, we were there for a long time.  So, he proposed to Lady Raven.”

“And let me guess… when Clarke miraculously survived, he proposed to her too?” he asked, and Madi nodded along. Bellamy threw his head back, trying to relax his jaw. “What an ass,” he grumbled before remembering there was a child in the room. His head shot up to see Madi giggling quietly. “Do not tell your mother I said that.”

“This conversation is our secret, remember?” she teased, and Bellamy threw his head back in a chuckle.

 

* * *

 

“Does she know that you’re spying on her?” Octavia asked suddenly, causing Bellamy to jump.

“I am not spying on her,” he huffed before turning his attention back to the window. Lord Collins had arrived an hour ago, and Clarke had insisted that she talk to him on her own first… which he begrudgingly agreed to. Clarke needed to be the one to tell him about their marriage and explain the situation with Azgeda. But Bellamy didn’t like the idea of not being there for that conversation.

“So, what do you call what you’re doing?” Octavia teased, and Bellamy groaned.

“I’m just keeping an eye on them,” he snapped. Lord Collins and Clarke were walking outside, Collins clearly talking too much for Clarke to even get a word in.

“That is Lincoln’s job,” Octavia replied, pointing to where Lincoln was trailing behind them by ten paces. “So, what are you really doing?”

Bellamy chose to ignore her, especially because now he could see Clarke beginning to speak finally and the cheerful expression on Collins’ face drop slowly. Then, Clarke reached over and touched his shoulder, and Bellamy’s jaw clenched.

“Oh my God,” Octavia said.

“I know,” he groaned, frustrated that her hand lingered a bit longer than she should have if she was just comforting him.

“No, you,” Octavia snapped, and he jerked his head in her direction. “You are jealous.”

“That is ridiculous,” Bellamy huffed, turning back to look at Clarke who had now stepped away from Collins. “What would I be jealous of?” It wasn’t like Collins was a threat to anyone. He was just some Arkadian lord. Bellamy was a king, for God’s sake. Plus, Lord Collins didn’t successfully marry Clarke, Bellamy did. There was absolutely nothing to be jealous of.

“I don’t know why you’re worried. She hates him apparently, and she actually likes you,” Octavia said.

“She doesn’t look like she hates… wait, what?” he said, caught off guard by the last part of his sister’s sentence.

“Pay attention. Lord Collins looks like he just got the news,” Octavia said, pointing out the window. Bellamy jerked his head back in that direction, seeing Clarke still talking to Finn… whose jaw was clenching, almost angrily. He tried to say something back to her, but Clarke didn’t let him interrupt… so he just sat there, almost fuming…

_This_ was why Bellamy was worried. That was the face of a man who just found out the woman he was in love with married someone else… meaning Finn Collins was about to become a problem.

He watched their entire conversation play out… realizing that Finn was too thrown by that news to really be able to respond what Clarke was asking of him. So, he watched as Finn mumbled something to her before walking back toward the castle, and Bellamy let out a groan. He didn’t agree yet.

Bellamy waited until Clarke and Lincoln made their way inside before rushing down the stairs. “What happened?” Bellamy asked.

“He needs more persuading. You will meet him at dinner,” Clarke sighed, and Bellamy groaned. He did not want to have to interact with Finn Collins, let alone spend an entire evening with him.

“Oh, this should be good,” Octavia teased, and Bellamy shot her a warning look. “I’m sure my brother can’t wait.”

“It will be fine,” Clarke reassured, and Bellamy’s jaw twitched. A whole evening with Finn Collins… a man who very clearly still wants Bellamy’s wife and has the audacity to avoid giving his own queen a direct answer…

“As fine as an evening I have to spend with your former fiancé can be,” he muttered, and Octavia got bored with the conversation and took off toward the hallway.

“What, are you jealous?” Clarke teased, raising an eyebrow at him. Bellamy threw his head back. He was so damn tired of everyone asking him that. He had nothing to be jealous of. He just didn’t like Finn Collins. That’s all there was to it.

“Of course not,” he snapped, and Clarke narrowed her eyes back at him.

 

* * *

 

Collins sat down right next to Bellamy… which Bellamy probably preferred over him sitting next to Clarke anyway, but it still wasn’t ideal. “Lord Collins, how are you enjoying your time in Polis?” Octavia asked from the other side of Bellamy.

“I am enjoying myself quite a bit. Thank you,” he grinned. “It’s much warmer here than Arkadia at the moment.”

Bellamy tuned out as they continued to make small talk about the weather. He leaned back in his chair, spotting Clarke in the hallway talking quietly with Jasper. He swears she started smirking but couldn’t make sense of it before Raven walked in, snapping Bellamy back in the moment.

“Lord Collins,” she said coldly, taking her seat beside where Clarke would sit. Bellamy took a sip of his wine, deciding he didn’t want to be sober for any of this.

“You two know each other?” Octavia asked, and Bellamy nearly spat out his drink.

“Well, Lady Raven and I are from the same part of Arkadia. Of course, we know each other,” Finn replied quite smoothly, and Bellamy fought not to roll his eyes.

“That’s an interesting way to explain that you were engaged to me when you proposed to Queen Clarke,” Raven said calmly, and Bellamy bit down on his hand to keep from laughing obnoxiously at Finn’s panicked expression. Octavia’s eyes narrowed at Bellamy, clearly furious that he forgot to tell her about this one very important detail.

Luckily, Clarke, Madi, and Kane chose this moment to enter, and the subject got dropped. When Clarke started to take her seat, Bellamy shot her a warning look. She swallowed, gesturing for everyone else to sit back down.

Kane must have sensed the awkwardness and engaged Finn in a conversation about hunting, and slowly, the rest of the table started to relax again. He could feel Clarke’s eyes on him, clearly urging him to talk to Finn. He waited until the rest of the table was discussing Octavia’s upcoming birthday before engaging Collins.

“We really do appreciate you coming all this way to meet with us,” Bellamy started, trying his best to sound as tactful as Clarke did. But there was a reason Bellamy let his advisors and ambassadors do most of the negotiations. He was not exactly gifted at masking his distain for certain people, and Finn Collins had certainly been added to that list.

“It was no problem at all. My home is actually quite close to the border,” Finn replied.

“I trust you and my wife had a nice chat earlier.”

“It was… interesting,” Finn said, raising an eyebrow at Bellamy. “I was aware that your kingdom had been having problems with Azgeda. I was just unaware that she was willing to get involved in the mess,” he said in an almost accusatory tone, and Bellamy’s jaw clicked.

“Well, I am sure you know that my kingdom does not stand a chance against Azgeda on its own. And if Polis falls, it would be quite for Azgeda to move onto your border. In fact, it would be your home on the front lines, Lord Collins,” he snapped before feeling Octavia nudge his leg under the table.

“I guess I was just more confused as to how someone let things get this bad,” Finn said with a smile, and Bellamy gripped his own thigh to keep from screaming in anger.

“I did everything I could. Queen Clarke has said so herself. She would not get involved in this war if she did not think it was the best course of action for both our kingdoms,” Bellamy said through gritted teeth, and Clarke’s head shot up across the table, eyeing him carefully as Lincoln whispered something into her ear.

“Interesting,” Collins murmured, and Octavia turned to redirect her attention to the rest of the table’s conversation. “The entire time we were engaged, she was quite adamant that she would not willingly go into another war after Mt. Weather.”

“The entire time? A whole week?” Bellamy snorted, and Finn’s nostrils flared angrily in response.

Then, he saw Clarke push herself out of her seat abruptly, tossing her napkin onto the table in a huff. “Lord Collins, King Bellamy, perhaps the three of us should take this conversation outside?” she snapped, and Finn dropped his fork. Clarke was already walking toward the door, waiting for them to follow after her. Octavia shot Bellamy a nervous look as he stood up.

Bellamy mumbled his apologies to the rest of the table as he followed after Clarke, Finn just a few feet behind him. “Clarke,” Bellamy called out as soon as the doors were shut to the dining room.

“Wait until we are in your study,” she snapped, and Bellamy let out a groan. Jasper and Lincoln jogged up toward Clarke, both taking turns whispering things to her, and Bellamy looked back at Finn who was scowling back at him.

When they got to the study, Clarke sat down in Bellamy’s usual seat, raising a challenging eyebrow at him as she did. When Lincoln closed the door behind them, Clarke growled, “Sit.”

Finn quickly jumped into a seat, and Clarke’s eyes drifted over to Bellamy, and he realized that order was directed at him too. He bit the inside of his mouth as he sat down beside Collins, irritated at the condescending way Clarke was glaring at him.

“Now, Lord Collins, if you are going to question my decisions, you could at least have the courtesy to do it to my face,” Clarke snapped, and Bellamy’s eyes widened as he looked over at Finn, who had a similar look on his face. “Just because I wasn’t able to hear you two does not mean that Lincoln or Jasper could not.”

Bellamy swallowed, his eyes falling to his hands in his lap. “I am not questioning your decisions, Your Majesty,” Finn explained. “I am questioning who influenced you to make them.”

“You mean my husband,” Clarke corrected, and Bellamy’s head snapped back up.

“I am sure it seemed like a good argument at the time…” Finn started, and Bellamy threw his head back. Finn thought Bellamy manipulated her into this decision.

“Anyone who knows anything will tell you that Azgeda doesn’t just want Polis. They want Arkadia too,” Bellamy growled.

“And hearing you say that clearly led to her making a rash decision,” Finn replied.

“I am not sure why you think I am the kind of woman who could get manipulated into marrying a man she shouldn’t, especially when it didn’t work when you tried it,” Clarke snapped, and Finn’s head jerked in her direction. Bellamy’s hand covered his mouth, not expecting Clarke to just rip into him so blatantly.

“That is not what I was saying,” Finn said quickly.

“Oh, yes it was,” she growled, her eyes narrowing fiercely at him. “You think your queen is incapable of making decisions and alliances for her people even though I was the one who figured out how to defeat Mt. Weather.”

“Your Majesty—”

“If I hadn’t have gotten out of the Mountain with the information I had, Mt. Weather would have destroyed Arkadia. You owe me your life along with the lives of everyone you love, yet you have the audacity to imply that I do not know what I am doing,” she spat, and Bellamy covered his mouth with his hand to cover up his smug grin.

“I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“I am sure you are. So, will you lend us your army or not?” Clarke said quickly, and Bellamy glanced over at Finn, who looked hesitant to answer.

“I cannot just answer that right away…”

“Yes, you can,” Clarke replied. “And you will say yes if you want to continue to keep your title and lands.”

“On what grounds?” Finn yelled, standing up, and Bellamy jumped up too.

“Well, according to Lincoln and Jasper’s investigation, you have now avoided paying your taxes twice now. You have increasingly shorted the crown on the grain you promise. These are things I was willing to let slide as long as you were loyal to me, but refusing to help when your queen asks you for it… well, it forces me to reexamine your value to me as a nobleman,” she threatened, her face as stoic as ever. Bellamy kind of liked watching Clarke threaten when it wasn’t directed at him, and it was getting hard to conceal his smirk.

“You’re bluffing. You wouldn’t do that,” Finn huffed, but there was a nervousness in his voice as he spoke. Bellamy narrowed his eyes at Clarke, trying to decipher if she was bluffing or not. He knew that she tended to throw threats around, but he had never seen her make good on them since no one ever went against her after the threats were made.

“This is me being generous, Lord Collins. I am offering you an opportunity to help the crown, and in exchange, you will have a raise in station,” Clarke explained with a smile. “Refuse, and I will be forced to examine you and your crimes more closely. Did you know that knowingly deceiving the crown is grounds for treason? That could cover anything from not delivering on your agreements to purposefully withholding the fact that you were already engaged prior to making a proposal to your queen in a desperate attempt to become a king.”

Finn’s eyes widened as he glanced over at Bellamy. “The last man in Polis to commit treason lost his head,” Bellamy smirked.

“My father preferred having traitors drawn and quartered,” Clarke replied coolly.

“I will give you my army,” Finn conceded breathlessly, and a sly grin formed on his wife’s lips.

“Well, thank you. Now, you are dismissed. We need them in three days,” Clarke replied, and Finn scrambled toward the door. When Bellamy started to follow after him, Clarke said, “Not you. Sit back down.” Bellamy turned back slowly, frustrated that her patronizing tone was now directed back at him.

“What did I do?”

“You lost your temper,” Clarke replied. “How did you let that happen?”

“I did not lose my temper.”

“That’s not what I saw. You looked just as furious as you did after you watched Finn and I through the window upstairs,” she said, and Bellamy furrowed his brows. “Do you really think I didn’t know that you were watching us?”

Bellamy let out a sigh, sitting back in his seat to look up at the ceiling. Of course, Clarke knew. She seemed to know _everything_.

“Why are you acting like this?” she asked again, and Bellamy let out a breath.

“I just don’t like having Finn here.”

“Well, he will leave as soon as my army can get here. But it’s not like you haven’t had to deal with nobles you dislike before. So, what happened?” she huffed.

“He implied that this whole thing is my fault, when really, he is just furious that someone other than him got to marry you,” he groaned. “He was behaving like a child.” Clarke snorted, and he sat up straighter, realizing that she thought _he_ was the one acting like a child. “You know that he was behaving like a child. Do not pretend that I am the problem here. He is the one that is questioning your judgement, not me. He has the audacity to think he knows better than his own queen and spends his entire evening accusing me of persuading you to join a war you shouldn’t have. And were you even hearing how he was talking to you?”

Then, a giggle escaped Clarke’s lips, and he blinked a few times at her. “Is something funny?” he snapped.

“Yes,” she chuckled as she stood up. “You do know that you do not have to defend me. I am more than capable of doing that myself,” she teased, and Bellamy cocked his head to the side in confusion. Of course, she was. He knew that. Hell, he had just witnessed her threaten execution to corner Finn into helping them.

“That’s not… I wasn’t trying to defend you or anything. He was just being an ass.”

“Sure,” Clarke teased, walking toward the door.

After Clarke left, Bellamy sat there for a few moments… trying to figure out what the hell just happened. Okay, he was not happy about the way that Finn talked about Clarke or the way he questioned their marriage. But he had reason to be. Clarke was his wife, after all. It might not be the marriage either of them dreamed of, but it’s still a marriage. Finn was a threat to that in several ways.

“So, what happened?” Kane asked, and Bellamy jumped in surprise.

“Clarke threatened Finn and now we have his army,” Bellamy mumbled, standing up. “How did the rest of dinner go?”

“Fine. Everyone went off to bed already, including the Queen,” Kane replied, narrowing his eyes at Bellamy. “Permission to speak bluntly?” Bellamy nodded, already knowing that he was going to hate whatever came out of Kane’s mouth. “You were about to lose your temper tonight. It’s not like you to get like that around someone you don’t know very well.”

“Well, Finn Collins tested my patience,” Bellamy snapped.

“No, Finn Collins made you jealous,” Kane replied.

“Why would I be jealous of him? I am the one married to Clarke, not him,” he groaned.

“Perhaps because there was a point in time where Clarke wanted to marry him for a nonpolitical reason. From what Lady Raven tells me, she loved him,” Kane said calmly, and Bellamy gripped the back of the chair tightly at those words. “Meanwhile, she married you because she had to. _That_ is why you are jealous of Lord Collins.”

Bellamy opened his mouth to argue, ready to tell Kane that he had lost his mind… but Kane was right. That was the only thing that Finn Collins had that Bellamy didn’t. Clarke once loved Finn, but she had only ever hated Bellamy.

“Excuse me,” Bellamy mumbled as he made his way out of the study. He headed up the stairs toward his room, not sure what he was going to say to Clarke when he saw her. Luckily, he didn’t have to say anything because she and Madi were already fast asleep.

Quietly, he got dressed for bed, and neither of them stirred. He walked over and pulled up the blanket that had fallen off Madi so neither of them would get cold, before crossing back over to his side of the bed and climbing in beside them.

 

* * *

 

Finn’s army arrived quickly, and Miller and his men escorted them to the Azgedan border. Finn was still at court but mostly staying in his own room. Bellamy had heard that he tried to reconcile with Raven, who proceeded to slap him across the face… and Bellamy tried not to laugh when he heard that news.

On one of the warmer days, Bellamy took Madi outside to start her off with some bow and arrow lessons. She was a bit shaky at first, but she was starting to get the hang of it.

“Madi,” Raven called out as she jogged outside… a bit too frantic for Bellamy’s liking. “Princess Octavia wants you to come help her with something in the library,” Raven said calmly, but Bellamy had a bad feeling about this.

“Can we do this some more tomorrow?” Madi asked.

“Of course,” Bellamy smiled, and Madi took off toward the castle. “What is going on?”

“Clarke needs you,” Raven said, and Bellamy dropped the bow to the ground. “Azgeda attacked Arkadia last night.” Bellamy blinked a few times, taking in those words. That made no sense. Azgeda had no grounds to attack Arkadia. They were allies as of now. The only reason Nia would have reason to attack is if she found out…

“They know,” he realized, already storming toward the castle. Raven jogged to keep up with him. “How could they have found out about the marriage? We’ve kept it quiet.”

“I know. That is what she is freaking out about,” Raven said, and they finally made it inside.

“Kane, I want everyone in this castle interrogated. We have a spy inside these walls!” he shouted as he started running up the stairs. He found Clarke in their room, pacing back and forth as Lincoln and Monty tried to talk her down. “How bad was the attack?”

“We don’t know,” Clarke snapped.

“Luckily, our men were delayed getting here, which means they are close enough to stop Azgeda from moving any further,” Lincoln explained, gesturing to the map. “And the storm is over, which means we can send reinforcements.”

“What reinforcements? Surely, you cannot be talking about the Polis army. They cannot leave that border and leave Polis vulnerable,” Clarke said before Bellamy had the chance to say the exact same thing.

“There is no way Azgeda has enough men to attack both borders at once,” Monty muttered, and Bellamy furrowed his brows. He was right. Azgeda had more men than Polis, yes. But not enough to attack both Polis and Arkadia at the same time… which meant that their presence on Polis’ border was not as large as he thought. His men could take them out _easily_.

“Clearly, we were wrong about that,” Clarke snapped, and Bellamy studied her more closely… she looked like she was on the verge of tears. And he couldn’t blame her. He knew all too well what it felt like to have his own people attacked, how much guilt was probably weighing on her for not being back in Arkadia right now.

“Will you two give us a moment?” Bellamy asked, and Lincoln glanced over at Clarke cautiously. She waved her hand, signaling she was alright with it, and Monty and Lincoln quickly made their way out. “This is not your fault,” he said calmly as soon as the door shut behind them.

“Yes, it is,” Clarke huffed. “And I’m not there. My kingdom was attacked, and I wasn’t there.”

“Clarke.”

“My people lost their lives last night because I didn’t know that the news of our marriage had leaked to Azgeda. I should have known. I should have had more men stationed on the border just in case. I should have…” she trailed off, and that’s when the tears started to fall. Bellamy crossed over to her, pulling her into his chest. She stiffened for a moment, and Bellamy panicked that he might have crossed a line. But as soon as she relaxed against him, sobbing against his shirt, he let out a breath and pulled her tighter.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, not sure what else he could do other than rock her back and forth soothingly. She was going to feel guilty about this no matter what, even though there was no way she could have seen this coming. Azgeda’s problem was always with Polis, not Arkadia. But Clarke marrying Bellamy was an act of betrayal in Nia’s eyes… Bellamy just didn’t think Nia would take it out on Arkadia.

He held her there for a few minutes, occasionally whispering something comforting that she probably couldn’t hear over the sound of her own sobs. When she finally pulled away, her face was red from crying, and Bellamy’s chest panged at the sight. “Sorry,” she mumbled, stepping away from him.

“Monty is right,” Bellamy said, and Clarke’s head snapped up to look at him. “Azgeda does not have enough men to attack both Polis and Arkadia at the same time.”

“What are you saying?” Clarke asked, wiping what remained of her tears off her cheeks.

“That if Polis attacked Azgeda right now, they would not be able to defend themselves since most of their soldiers are attacking Arkadia,” he explained, and Clarke narrowed her eyes at him.

“That would be Polis declaring war on Azgeda… not the other way around,” she argued.

“Azgeda declared war when they attacked our ally,” he reminded, and Clarke rolled her eyes at him.

“You know what I mean,” she groaned. “To the rest of the world, it would look like you attacked a vulnerable Azgeda just because you could, not because you were currently at war.” Bellamy pressed his lips together, frustrated that she was right. The last thing he needed was for the surrounding kingdoms to see him as a monarch who would attack before being provoked, likely not taking into consideration that Bellamy was married to the queen of Arkadia. If things got desperate, he would need those kingdoms on his side, not Azgeda’s.

“But if I did, Azgeda might have to retreat from Arkadia to defend its border,” Bellamy argued, and Clarke blinked a few times, processing this. “Nia can’t let the Polis army penetrate their border. She would choose to reinforce those troops instead of pursuing the stalemate they will meet once your entire army meets up with them.”

“You do not know that would work,” Clarke huffed, and Bellamy bit his lip. She was right, but he was confident it would. “My soldiers can hold them off, especially if the Azgeda army is not at full capacity. Are you sure you want to be the one to start this war?” she asked, her voice not accusatory or authoritative like it normally was… but nervous. Now, Bellamy started to doubt his own confidence. He had been wrong about these issues before. His gut had led him astray, and it didn’t help that Clarke wasn’t confident in either plan.

He trusted Clarke when she said her men could hold Azgeda off. He could easily just stay his hand and wait for Azgeda to begin the war. Clarke would make sure that her people move closer to the Polis border in case anything went wrong, but it wouldn’t go wrong. She had a fierce army that knew how to fight a war and win. Arkadia would be fine. The army might not be as fierce afterwards, but neither would Azgeda’s.

But taking the pressure off them by starting an attack of his own… that would ensure minimum casualties in the Arkadian army if the plan worked. Bellamy was certain that Azgeda could not hold off on two separate fronts… but now he doubted his own judgement. And Clarke was right, Bellamy did not want to be the one to start this war… especially not after it was his ship that destroyed the Azgedan one.

“I don’t know,” Bellamy confessed, and Clarke’s eyes softened. “I just… I don’t know what to do.”

“I don’t either,” she replied, almost apologizing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do they do? Do they A) attack Azgeda from the Polis border, or B) wait? You can vote in the comments section, in a reply or tag on the Tumblr post (@asroarke), or in the poll on my twitter (also @asroarke). Voting closes on March 26th at 11:59 pm Central Time.
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are always appreciated.
> 
> (request: when voting in the comments, please start your comment with either A or B for your vote. I love hearing your thought processes so feel free to keep sharing them, but having the vote up front really will help me with tallying up the votes. I had to recount a bunch of times this time around)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy’s eyes found her immediately, and she didn’t miss the momentary heat in his eyes when he saw who she was walking beside. The rest of the men with him resumed their conversation, but Bellamy kept his eyes sternly on her as she approached him. “What did you find out?” he whispered, his hand now resting on her back. 
> 
> “That Lord Collins would not be so stupid as to betray us while trapped in Polis where you would have him drawn and quartered for treason,” she murmured, and Bellamy fixed his eyes back on Dax and Murphy, and Kane let out a sigh. 
> 
> “But it is highly unlikely that one of Finn’s men let something slip. I saw the letter he sent. He did not say a word about Queen Clarke being in Polis, let alone about their alliance,” Lincoln explained. 
> 
> “You seriously think one of my men gave this information to Azgeda?” Finn snapped, stepping toward them. Clarke shot him a warning look. She was on Finn’s side here. But she also saw why Bellamy and Miller suspected Finn’s men, thus prompting this investigation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time around you guys voted to wait until Azgeda attacks first (49-40). This chapter has a lot going on, so get ready (featuring Bellamy "losing it a little" Blake and Clarke finally having a turn at being "thrown by the intimacy").

“I swear I haven’t said anything to anyone,” Finn repeated, and Clarke nodded along. It wasn’t in Finn’s best interest to leak news of her marriage to Azgeda. As angry as he probably was with Clarke, there was no way he wanted to help Azgeda, knowing that the first thing Nia would do would be to execute all the nobles who were loyal to Clarke. And it wasn’t like Finn would be so stupid as to help Bellamy and Clarke’s enemy while trapped in the Polis castle. If he did, he would have no hope of making it out of here alive. Finn Collins may be a lot of things, but he wasn’t stupid. Helping Azgeda would result in his death.

“I know,” she replied, patting his arm before opening the door. The only reason she had this meeting with him was to placate Bellamy, who was certain it had to be him… likely due to his dislike of Finn and his inability to consider that someone else inside this castle would betray him. “Luckily, the Arkadian army was delayed getting here because of the storm and were able to make it to the border in time,” she explained, and Finn fell in step with her.

“Would you accept some advice?” Finn asked, and Clarke raised an eyebrow at him. “I would reach out to your allies before Queen Nia could spin some lie about why she actually declared war on Arkadia.”

Clarke nodded along. Bellamy already had a meeting planned with Prince Ilian, and Clarke had been struggling to draft letters to Indra and Lexa. “I will do just that. Thank you,” Clarke replied as they turned the corner into the throne room.

Bellamy’s eyes found her immediately, and she didn’t miss the momentary heat in his eyes when he saw who she was walking beside. The rest of the men with him resumed their conversation, but Bellamy kept his eyes sternly on her as she approached him. “What did you find out?” he whispered, his hand now resting on her back.

“That Lord Collins would not be so stupid as to betray us while trapped in Polis where you would have him drawn and quartered for treason,” she murmured, and Bellamy fixed his eyes back on Dax and Murphy, and Kane let out a sigh.

“But it is highly unlikely that one of Finn’s men let something slip. I saw the letter he sent. He did not say a word about Queen Clarke being in Polis, let alone about their alliance,” Lincoln explained.

“You seriously think one of my men gave this information to Azgeda?” Finn snapped, stepping toward them. Clarke shot him a warning look. She was on Finn’s side here. But she also saw why Bellamy and Miller suspected Finn’s men, thus prompting this investigation.

“It might not have even been on purpose,” Dax replied, and Finn took his place right next to Clarke… and Clarke felt Bellamy pull her in closer by her waist. “One of them could have mentioned in passing where they were heading, and someone else put the pieces together. After all, why else would a Lord from Arkadia send his private army to Polis?”

Clarke glanced up at Bellamy, wondering why on earth he was still touching her. That one embrace aside, they were not an affectionate pair. Yet, here he was pulling him close to his side during a strategy meeting. “My army was not the only one on the move and given opportunity to let something slip,” Finn replied, and Clarke locked eyes with Lincoln. Clarke had suspected from the beginning that the leak was from within Bellamy’s immediate circle. There were only a small group of people who were privy to the knowledge of the marriage, most of whom were in his guard. And the only people who have left the castle since the alliance was made were those guards.

“Lord Collins, are you questioning the loyalty of my men?” Bellamy growled, and Clarke glared up at him. She was not about to settle another fight between the two of them just because Bellamy couldn’t keep his temper in check.

“I just believe that your investigation on the matter should be thorough, Your Majesty,” Finn replied, and Bellamy clenched his jaw.

“None of us believe one of your trusted men would betray you,” Clarke clarified as calmly as she could. “Miller, Murphy, Dax… none of them would betray you.”

Clarke caught Lincoln nodding in Monty and Jasper’s direction, and while Dax and Murphy continued their report, Monty and Jasper snuck out the door. Clarke raised an eyebrow at Lincoln, who kept his expression stern and focused on Dax and Murphy as they spoke. She knew he was about to start his own investigation… she just prayed that Bellamy didn’t find out and think she didn’t trust him. She does trust Bellamy. But he is not without his blind spots.

 

* * *

 

Clarke could feel hands encircling her neck, only hearing the faint sound of Madi screaming for her somewhere in the dark. Gasping for breath, Clarke sat up quickly and reached over for where Madi should be… but she wasn’t in the bed. Clarke caught her breath slowly, reminding herself that it was just a dream and Madi was sleeping in her own bed tonight.

She turned her head to see Bellamy fast asleep just inches away from her. Right, she was in Polis, not Mt. Weather. She would never be back in Mt. Weather again. She was safe here.

Slowly, she stepped out of bed, careful not to wake up Bellamy. She knew it would be a while before she fell back asleep, so she made her way over to the desk, resolving to finish her letter to Indra so she could send it out in the morning.

Once the candle was lit, she began explaining the circumstances that inspired her marriage to Bellamy, highlighting that forming an alliance is not itself an act of war. She listed off the aggressions between Polis and Azgeda. She articulated her reason for choosing Polis over Azgeda, and then explained that she does not expect Trikru to intervene in the war efforts, that this is just between Arkadia, Polis, and Azgeda.

Clarke put her seal on the letter, contemplating whether she wanted to begin Lexa’s letter or not. “Clarke?” she heard Bellamy call out.

“Sorry,” she whispered, blowing out the candle.

“Come back to bed,” he sleepily murmured, and she let out a sigh. Clarke stood up, walking as quietly as she could back to the bed. “What is going on?” he asked as she settled onto her stomach, turning her head to look in his direction. He was lying on his back, his head turned in her direction.

“I just wanted to finish my letter to Indra,” Clarke explained, and he turned onto his side.

“At this hour?” he huffed, and Clarke groaned into her pillow. “Something woke you up.”

“Maybe it was your snoring,” she teased, and now it was his turn to groan. “I just had a bad dream. That’s all.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, and Clarke tilted her head up to look at him. His eyes were serious and piercing, even in the dark. There had been some shift in Bellamy, and Clarke hadn’t figured out what exactly caused it. She would say it was because of the attack on Arkadia, but this change happened before then. The first time she noticed it was the night Bellamy was fighting with Finn. If this were a normal marriage, she would say it was jealousy. But this was not a normal marriage. It was more likely that Bellamy was protective of her the same way he was protective of his guards when Finn implied they were not trustworthy.

“No,” she replied. She was not about to burden someone else with the horrors of Mt. Weather, at least not while Bellamy had bigger things to worry about than if his wife was sleeping through the night.

“Is there anything I can do?”

“No,” she said quickly, and his face fell. “It was just a dream,” she reassured as she closed her eyes. A few seconds passed, and they fell into silence. Clarke relaxed since he had dropped the subject.

Then, she felt his hand rest on top of hers and her eyes jerked open at the contact. His eyes were cautiously fixed on hers, and she swallowed. He was waiting for her to protest… but it felt nice. His hand was warm against hers, a comforting reminder that she wasn’t completely alone. She relaxed against her pillow, letting her eyes fall shut as his thumb traced small circles into her hand.

 

* * *

 

Most of their letters and meetings went well, likely due to the fact that Polis had stayed its hand and not attacked Azgeda on Arkadia’s behalf. Bellamy was off meeting with Prince Ilian, due back any moment, as Clarke reviewed her letters from Jaha, who was overseeing her army at the Arkadian border. She wrote him back quickly, before stepping out of her room. Murphy stood outside, following her as soon as she took off down the hallway. “Is Lincoln around?” she asked him, and he shook his head. Clarke swallowed, praying that he, Jasper, and Monty were being discreet if they were indeed investigating Bellamy’s men. She tucked the letter into her pocket before stepping into Madi’s room… but she was not there. “Is Madi not back yet from her ride?” Clarke asked.

“I am sure she and Dax will be back any second,” he replied, and Clarke’s lips twitched at those words. Dax would not have been her first choice for a guard to accompany Madi. There was just something about him that she didn’t trust.

“Well, perhaps I will go for a ride and catch up with them,” Clarke said, and Murphy shot her an apologetic look.

“We cannot afford to send anymore guards outside the castle in its current state. King Bellamy’s orders,” he replied, and Clarke let out a huff. She understood, of course. With Bellamy taking several guards with him to meet with Ilian and Miller and most of his men at the border, the castle was already short staffed enough. And no one wanted another Emerson incident. But that did little to help the horrible feeling Clarke had in her stomach about Madi being gone for this long.

“Of course. I understand,” Clarke said, glancing around for any ideas of how to get out of Murphy’s line of sight long enough to get out of this castle herself. Then, she spotted her way out. “Lady Raven,” Clarke called out, and Raven stepped toward them. Clarke gestured with her eyes toward Murphy, and Raven got the message loud and clear.

“Does King Bellamy only hire men who scowl at everyone who walks by?” Raven teased him, and Murphy scoffed.

“Does Queen Clarke only have friends who berate everyone in sight?” he snapped back, and a smirk formed on Clarke’s lips.

“I don’t berate everyone in sight. Just those who are bad enough at being spies that they get caught,” she retorted as the three of them made their way down the hallway. Clarke slipped behind the two of them as Raven continued to tease him. “Tell me, how did you manage to even get out of the Arkadian castle?”

“Right under your nose, it seems,” he huffed, and Clarke slowed her pace down, smirking because Murphy hadn’t noticed that she wasn’t right behind him anymore.

“I kept ten men under my nose just fine. Meanwhile, you were caught in five minutes by one of the two people you were hiding from,” she retorted, and Clarke slipped back down the hallway. She walked as quietly as she could, dodging guards as she made her way toward the stables. It wouldn’t take long for Murphy to notice she disappeared. Once in the stables, she grabbed a small dagger and tucked it into her sleeve… just in case.

Luckily, none of the stable hands had received direct orders from Bellamy not to let Clarke go off unaccompanied, so they didn’t bat an eye when she and her horse and took off. She took off toward the woods behind the castle, the route that Bellamy suggested when it was finally okay for her and Madi to leave the castle. She rode for several minutes without a sign of Madi or Dax… then, she heard a rustling. “Madi?” she shouted, dismounting from her horse.

“Oh, good,” she heard a voice that definitely wasn’t Madi’s say.

“Who is there?” she shouted before hearing a rustling behind her. She turned around quickly to see Dax and Madi emerge from the bushes, his sword lingering dangerously close to Madi. “Let her go,” Clarke growled, her eyes locking fiercely with Dax’s.

“You know this isn’t that simple,” he smirked. “I was told to bring Azgeda leverage against Arkadia.”

Clarke’s face went pale, realizing that Dax was the leak to Azgeda. He told them about the marriage. And now… he was planning to take Madi back to Azgeda as a way to get Clarke to cave into whatever their demands were. Her eyes drifted down to Madi’s, and Madi was shaking her head… knowing all too well what Clarke was about to suggest. “A queen would be much better leverage,” she muttered, and the cruel grin on Dax’s face grew.

“I was hoping you would say that. Step away from your horse, Your Majesty,” he taunted, gesturing with his head to his side. Clarke put her hands up cautiously as she stepped closer to him… and as soon as she was within his grasp, he let go of Madi and pulled Clarke tight against him.

“Madi, go,” Clarke snapped, and Madi slowly stumbled toward the horse. “Now,” she shouted, and Dax gripped her arms behind her back as he tied them with something. Clarke stood perfectly still as Madi mounted the horse and started to ride off in the opposite direction. As soon as Madi was safely out of sight, Clarke tried to let the dagger slip down to her hand.

Dax shoved her forward, gripping her by her shoulder as he dragged her toward his horse. It would only take Madi a few minutes to make it back to the castle… and they would find Clarke. All she had to do was delay this as long as she possibly could so she didn’t get too far away.

Finally, the dagger fell down her sleeve and she barely caught it with her hand. “Keep moving,” he spat as she tightened her grip on the handle. When he stepped close behind her, she jerked her hand in his direction, praying that it was a strong enough hit. When a curse escaped his lips, she pushed herself back against him so he would fall before taking off running. She ran in the direction of the castle, praying that it would help her find someone to help her sooner.

It didn’t take long for her to hear him trailing after her on foot, so she ducked into the trees. She found a decent spot to hide as she tried to cut her way out of her restraints. “Where are you?” she heard him growl, a little too close for her liking. She worked faster, holding her breath as she accidentally cut her own skin with the edge. She bit down her lip, trying to ignore the pain as she pushed through. “I know these woods better than you do, Your Majesty.”

He had a point. Clarke had no idea where she was once she left the path, meanwhile Dax had been in this court for years. She wouldn’t be able to find a hiding spot that he didn’t already know about. Finally, she felt the restraints start to loosen as she finally freed herself.

She waited until his footsteps grew quieter before sprinting in the opposite direction. It didn’t take long for her to hear him huffing as he ran after her, and Clarke did her best to hold her dress up so she wouldn’t trip over it.

But then, she went barreling toward the ground. As she pushed herself up, he got his grip on her again, his hand struggling to reach down her arm to grab the dagger from her grip. She jerked away as best she could, slamming her elbow into his chest. As he tried to wrangle her other arm under control, she managed to turn and stab his shoulder with the dagger. He fell back in response and Clarke took off running again.

Wait, there should be a horse around here somewhere. She needed to find that horse if she wanted to outrun him. She changed direction again, now running away from castle to find where Dax left the horse. She wasn’t sure how far she had run… but it couldn’t have been that far. For some reason, she couldn’t find the horse. She ducked back into the trees as soon as she heard Dax behind her again.

She found a particularly large oak and stood behind it to catch her breath. “I should have known you wouldn’t make it this easy,” he growled… far too close to her. If he just took a few steps forward, he would see her. Then, she heard a loud thud… almost as if he fell or tripped. Clarke held her breath, waiting to hear him stand back up… but he didn’t.

Slowly, Clarke stepped to the side, leaning over to peer around the tree. And there was Dax, lying face down in the dirt with an arrow in his back. “Clarke?” she heard Bellamy shout, and she could cry from happiness.

“Here,” she called out and dropped the dagger to the ground, and she heard Bellamy dismount his horse. She ran as quickly as she could to the path, finally spotting him and three of his guards. As soon as Bellamy locked eyes with her, he ran up to her and pulled her into his chest.

She buried her face into his neck, letting out a relieved sob. “You’re okay,” he whispered as his hand cupped the back of her head. “I was already looking for you when Madi was riding back,” he murmured before pulling back and gripping her face between his hands, his eyes searching her carefully. “Did he hurt you?” he asked as he scanned the rest of her.

“No,” Clarke replied, but his eyes lingered on the cut on her hand. “That was an accident,” she explained, using her other hand to wipe her tears.

He pulled her back into him, one hand cradling her head as the other rested on her lower back. She relaxed into the embrace, finding comfort in his warmth.

“He was going to take me to Azgeda,” she murmured, and he sucked in a breath. “He is who has been helping them.” He didn’t respond right away, and Clarke pulled back to get a better look at him. His eyes were wide, glaring in the direction of Dax’s body.

“I trusted him,” he murmured, clenching his jaw.

“Bell—”

“I trusted him with my plans, with Madi, with you,” he interrupted, his voice breaking at the end.

“This isn’t your fault,” Clarke reassured, but her words weren’t enough to make the terrified look in his eyes go away.

 

* * *

 

The following days went by in a blur. She hardly saw Bellamy except for when he would crawl into bed beside her late at night. She stuck by Madi most of the time, reassuring her that this wasn’t going to be like the Mountain all over again. She was a bit too shaken by the attempted abduction to be of much help, anyway. She trusted Lincoln to speak on her behalf during the strategy meetings. Plus, she did not have much to contribute until she got word from her front about the state of the Arkadian army.

When she finally received her letter from Jaha, it was not what she expected. He told her that the Azgedan army retreated… almost out of nowhere. Clarke sat at her desk for a few moments, trying to make sense of what she just read. Azgeda doesn’t just retreat, regardless of if it was a stalemate or not. It was foolish for them to do so unless they had to… or if their army was needed _elsewhere_.

The two guards now stationed outside Clarke’s room had to jog to keep up with her as she stormed down the hallway. “Your Majesty, he is in the middle of a strategy meeting,” Murphy explained just as Clarke had her hands on the doorknob.

“I dare you to stop me,” she growled, narrowing her eyes fiercely at him. Murphy’s eyes drifted to the other guard before stepping to the side. She jerked the door open to find Bellamy studying a map carefully as Kane and Finn argued over a vantage point. Lincoln caught her eye first, his eyes widening in a panic. “Tell me that the Polis army is still waiting on the border for _our_ orders,” she snapped, and Bellamy stood up straighter, his eyes locking with hers.

“We did not want to disturb you as you recovered from—” Kane tried to explain before Clarke’s murderous glare trailed over to him and he cut himself off

“It took the pressure off your army,” Finn tried to explain, reaching out to rest his hand on her arm.

“If you touch me again, I will take your hands,” Clarke threatened, and Finn jumped away from her in a panic. “Everyone out!”

“Your Majesty—” Lincoln tried to say.

“I said out!” she screamed, her eyes now locking with Bellamy’s. His face was harder to read. Unlike everyone else in the room, he knew she would react like this when everyone worked on this behind her back. There was a bit of concern in his eyes… but not enough to outweigh the part of himself that clearly thought he was right to do this.

“You heard her,” Bellamy replied, clenching his jaw as he kept his eyes fixed on her. She didn’t break eye contact as the rest of them shuffled out of the room, and neither did he.

“You and I agreed to hold off on attacking Azgeda until they attack Polis first,” Clarke said as calmly as she could, fighting every urge she had to hit him. “And you go behind my back and attack, completely unprovoked.”

“Polis was attacked first,” he snapped, and she rolled her eyes. This would not have been a secret from her if that was true.

“Is that what you are telling yourself to make this okay?” she huffed. “We have allies that we just made peace with because they believe that we are the peaceful ones in this war. And what do you do? You attack Azgeda’s border, declaring war on them first.”

“They declared war on Polis first,” he snapped, stepping toward her slowly. “They had a spy work his way into my court, and he tried to kidnap you. That is an attack, Clarke.”

“Good luck proving that to our allies when they find out what you did,” she shouted. “All they will see is a king who attacked a poorly defended border in a time of peace.”

“We are at war with Azgeda, Clarke!”

“Arkadia is at war with Azgeda,” she corrected, and his face contorted with anger as he tugged at his curls. “You weren’t at war until you attacked them.”

“Queen Nia ordered the abduction and likely future murder of my _wife_ ,” he snapped, and Clarke snapped her mouth shut. “Whether you like it or not, you are technically the queen of Polis too. That makes it an attack on Polis, and you know it.”

“And if you had consulted me, I would have pointed out that you need _proof_ that Dax was working on behalf of Azgeda. Otherwise, it just looks like you manufactured this story just so you could attack,” Clarke huffed, smacking his chest before he grabbed her hand tightly to stop her. “I thought you and I understood each other. We talk to each other. We don’t make decisions behind each other’s backs.”

“If I had talked to you, you would have insisted I do nothing, just like you did when Emerson nearly killed you,” he snapped, and Clarke threw her head back in a groan. Of course, she would suggest that. They needed to appear as innocent in this as possible and being the first to declare war without actual proof of wrongdoing was not the way to do that. “And you know what? I would do it again.”

“Are you really so stubborn that you can’t even see what a horrible mistake you’ve made?” she snapped, jerking her hand from his grasp.

“Are you really so stupid that you think I would let Azgeda get away with taking you away from me?” he growled, and Clarke was so startled by his tone that she almost missed the words themselves. “You could have died. I thought you were already dead. When you didn’t answer immediately, I thought I was going to find your dead body…”

“Bellamy.”

“… and you have the audacity to be angry that I attacked Azgeda? They let Emerson escape, and he tried to kill you. When that didn’t work, Dax tried to abduct you and drag you to Azgeda, where you likely would have been executed. So, I would make this decision over and over again to make sure you were safe,” he snapped, and Clarke’s eyes softened.

She opened her mouth to say something, but what could she possibly say to that? He acted rashly, let his anger determine his decisions all while dragging Lincoln and Finn into this stupid plan… but now she understood why… at least she thought she did.

She reached out and rested her hand on his arm, letting out a breath. When she looked back into Bellamy’s eyes, they softened… but he was clearly confused by the gesture. “I am safe,” she reassured, and the only reason she has stayed safe was standing right in front of her in all his stubborn glory.

He swallowed, his anger finally subsiding. “What if next time—”

“You have always kept me safe,” she interrupted, and he clenched his eyes shut at those words. Her time in Polis was the first time since before her father died where she was this confident that someone else would save her. She didn’t have this comfort in the Mountain. No, she had to kill Dante herself, she had to break out of there herself, she had to win that war by herself. She didn’t have this comfort in Arkadia, not since she became queen. She had threats lurking around every corner, nobles questioning her ability to rule for no reason other than her sex, a violent neighboring kingdom who would slit Clarke’s throat at the first opportunity.

A soft knock on the door interrupted Clarke’s thoughts. “I should let you get back to your meeting,” Clarke murmured as she went to answer the door. Bellamy grabbed her hand quickly, pulling her back. “It’s okay—” she tried to get out before he crashed his lips onto hers as he pushed her back against the wall. She froze, as his hands cradled her cheeks. She let her eyes fall shut as his soft lips pressed against hers, finally letting herself return the kiss. Her hands slid up to his chest, savoring the feeling of his soft heartbeat beneath her fingertips.

Another knock on the door caused Bellamy to pull away, but his eyes didn’t leave hers. She felt dizzy as he looked at her so softly, far gentler than she had ever seen him look at anyone. “It is a letter from Queen Nia!” Kane shouted, and Clarke’s eyes widened in a panic.

A stern look washed across Bellamy’s features at those words, but he made no steps toward the door. “Bellamy,” she whispered. They needed to read that letter immediately.

His eyes met hers again, and he rested his hand over Clarke’s that was resting on his chest. “One moment,” Bellamy shouted toward Kane. He interlaced his fingers with Clarke’s as he pulled her hand off his chest before pressing a small kiss to her palm, and Clarke felt dizzy again.

He stepped away from her, waiting until he absolutely had to before letting go of her hand. When he opened the door, Clarke let her hand travel to her lips… still not sure what just happened between them. “Did you read it?” Bellamy asked.

“No. It just arrived,” Kane replied before Bellamy shut the door again. Clarke stood in frozen silence as Bellamy read through the letter, trying to shake that kiss out of her head so that she can focus on whatever hell Nia was sending their way this time.

After a few seconds, Bellamy tossed the letter onto the table in a huff. “She wants to meet for a peace summit,” he muttered.

“Will she actually be in attendance?” Clarke asked, and Bellamy shook his head. “Yet, she expects us to be there?”

“We could send ambassadors on our behalf,” he sighed, which is what they would probably end up doing. Nia was not above using a peace summit as a way to lure either of them into an assassination trap. “She wouldn’t be offering this if she wasn’t scared, right?”

“She has two armies on two of her borders. You would be scared too,” Clarke replied, and his lips twitched. “Or this is a trap.”

“If I let Kane back in here, he is going to try to convince me that this is an opportunity for peace,” Bellamy muttered. “While I’m fairly certain it would just be delaying the inevitable while Azgeda tries to recover from what your army put them through.”

“So, we reject the summit?”

Bellamy furrowed his brows as he looked down at the map. “Your army won’t do well if they try to advance on Azgeda,” he sighed, and Clarke pressed her lips together. He was right. With the mountains that close to the border, the Arkadian army wouldn’t make it far and Azgeda would have the advantage. There was a reason that Jaha had not yet made the call to cross the border… it was a risky attempt. And if Azgeda didn’t kill them off, the weather would.

“But yours has the advantage,” she pointed out, and Bellamy nodded along.

“If we pushed off the war until spring, we could attack from both fronts,” he explained, and Clarke let out a sigh.

“Can we win on just one front now?” she asked, and he finally looked up at her.

“Right now, I think so. It just depends on how quickly Azgeda gets the rest of the army to the south,” he said, concern washing across his face. “I just wish I knew what Nia was hoping to get out of this peace summit. If she really is just buying time while her army is recuperating, then we should go. It would drag out the war, but we would be able to finish the war quicker when it started again by attacking from both fronts, but…”

“We have no idea of knowing what she wants with this summit,” Clarke sighed, and he nodded. “But if we reject it, we risk her going to our allies and framing us as warmongers who refused her offer of peace.”

Bellamy bit his lip as he studied the map again, and Clarke rested her hand on top of his… trying to reassure him even though she had no idea what to do.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, do they A) reject or B) accept the peace summit? You can vote in the comments section, in a reply or tag on the Tumblr post (@asroarke), or in the poll on my twitter (also @asroarke). Voting closes on April 1st at noon Central Time.
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are always appreciated.
> 
> (request: when voting in the comments, please start your comment with either A or B for your vote. I love hearing your thought processes so feel free to keep sharing them, but having the vote up front really will help me with tallying up the votes. I had to recount a bunch of times this time around)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They waited until a group of Azgedans stepped out behind the trees, but he couldn’t make out Echo. “We should be clear,” Murphy said, but Bellamy felt uneasy about the fact that Echo was not down there. He studied the people who had approached closely… and there was something off. This wasn’t everyone they sent.
> 
> “Call them back,” Bellamy snapped as soon as he saw Atom and the others dart forward… giving the Azgedans their location.
> 
> “Atom!” Murphy called out right before an arrow pierced Atom’s shoulder. Bellamy’s eyes followed where the arrow came from, locating Echo up in the treetops… right as her eyes met his. “Go!” Murphy shouted, but it was too late. Bellamy managed to move enough to mess up her shot, earning an arrow to his arm instead of his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time around you guys voted to accept the invitation to the peace summit (55-14).
> 
> This chapter is a lot, featuring self sacrificing Bellamy Blake, slytherin Clarke losing it a little, and a nice splash of kidnapping. We don't have many chapters of this story left, but thank you so much for all the support for this fic! Love you guys! Enjoy the drama!

Bellamy got dressed as quietly as he could, careful not to wake Clarke or Madi. The last thing he needed was either one of them figuring out what he was doing and alerting Octavia. His sister would be furious when she found out that Bellamy was going with the men headed to the peace summit, and he preferred to delay that rage until he was out of the castle and no longer at risk of having her change his mind.

It wasn’t like it was an easy decision. Kane had argued against it at first. But as Bellamy was forming the list of the men who would head out to the summit, he felt sick at the realization that he was risking their lives while sparing his own. If they were to risk their lives for this, then so should Bellamy. Kane suggested it be best that as few people in the castle as possible know about Bellamy attending the summit, fearing more spies in their midst. So, only Kane and Murphy knew. And he just prayed that Octavia forgave him when he came home safely.

“Bellamy?” he heard Madi whisper, and his head jerked in her direction. Clarke was still fast asleep, and Madi was sleepily blinking her eyes in his direction.

“Shh,” he replied, gesturing at Clarke. “I just have a meeting,” he lied, and Madi turned back into Clarke’s side. He also feared that Clarke might be angry about this decision… but she would understand better than Octavia would. She was a ruler in her own right and already knew about the kinds of sacrifices that needed to be made.

He had argued with himself over whether or not to let her in on the plan. He trusted her, of course. Trust wasn’t a strong enough word to describe his connection to Clarke. But he wasn’t sure if she would push back on this decision or not. Things had shifted between them since that kiss, not that he really knew what it meant. It wasn’t like Bellamy went into that conversation with her knowing that he would kiss her, or even thinking about kissing her prior to that moment. One moment, he was fighting with her about why he attacked Azgeda, and the next… he kissed her. And that kiss screamed all the things he couldn’t yet form into words.

He would probably feel better about that kiss if he had been able to speak with Clarke about it. But ever since that peace summit was offered, he and Clarke hadn’t had a moment alone. They were in meetings with their strategists, or Madi and Clarke were already fast asleep by the time Bellamy crept into bed.

He slipped out the door quietly, and Kane was waiting for him. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, and Bellamy nodded.

“I know when Echo is lying. I need to be there,” Bellamy replied as they walked down the dark hallway.

“You stay behind Murphy, understood?” he snapped, and a smirk formed on Bellamy’s face.

“You worried about me?” he teased, and Kane almost rolled his eyes.

“Perhaps I do not want to deal with your wife’s wrath if she finds out that I helped you in this plan,” he replied.

“Clarke will be fine. It’s Octavia you need to watch out for,” Bellamy reminded.

Kane saw him off as he rode off with Murphy, Atom, and a few other guards. They rode most of the day before arriving at the designated place for the summit. They were a bit early, hiding in the trees so that the Azgedans wouldn’t spot them just yet. While Bellamy was fairly certain this was not a trap, he was not about to move into sight first. They waited until a group of Azgedans stepped out behind the trees, but he couldn’t make out Echo. “We should be clear,” Murphy said, but Bellamy felt uneasy about the fact that Echo was not down there. He studied the people who had approached closely… and there was something off. This wasn’t everyone they sent.

“Call them back,” Bellamy snapped as soon as he saw Atom and the others dart forward… giving the Azgedans their location.

“Atom!” Murphy called out right before an arrow pierced Atom’s shoulder. Bellamy’s eyes followed where the arrow came from, locating Echo up in the treetops… right as her eyes met his. “Go!” Murphy shouted, but it was too late. Bellamy managed to move enough to mess up her shot, earning an arrow to his arm instead of his chest.

He tried to push through as he rode away, but the pain in his arm was worse than he remembered…

He wasn’t sure how far he rode, but Murphy stayed close behind him, close enough that Bellamy could hear his muffled shouting as Bellamy fell off his horse. “Bellamy,” Murphy said, jumping off his horse toward him.

“Get the arrow out,” Bellamy realized, and Murphy’s eyes widened. “Echo dips her arrows in poison,” he whispered, his eyes fluttering closed. How could he have forgotten that? After all, that’s what got Gina. It didn’t matter how quickly they got her to a healer… the poisoned arrow was in her leg for too long for a healer to be able to make a difference.

Murphy shoved his hand over Bellamy’s mouth to muffle his scream as he pulled the arrow out. Another guard caught up to them, helping Murphy pull Bellamy up to his feet… but he couldn’t stay balanced. “Get him on my horse,” Murphy ordered, and Bellamy could feel his eyes fighting him again.

No, he needed to stay awake. He needed to make it. Octavia wasn’t ready to rule Polis, especially not while they’re at war. She never wanted to lead. He needed to get back.

“You need to make sure that Clarke helps Octavia,” he murmured.

“You aren’t dying,” Murphy snapped. “If you die on my watch, Queen Clarke will actually kill me this time.”

Bellamy blinked a few times, realizing he never said goodbye to her. He wasn’t sure what he would have said if he had the chance. He never said goodbye to Madi either. He was going to die and never would get to say goodbye to either of them.

“Tell Clarke…” Bellamy drifted off, unable to form the words he needed. What could he possibly say to her to make this okay? She was his wife, they shared a bed, they went to war together… but he didn’t know what to say to her. All he knew was that he lost his mind when he thought he lost her. He didn’t know what that meant, and he wouldn’t live to figure it out.

“Tell her yourself,” Murphy snapped, and Bellamy’s entire body went limp. “Don’t do this to me,” he shouted, and Bellamy tried to keep his eyes open… he really did. But everything went dark.

 

* * *

 

When Bellamy’s eyes opened, everything was blurry. “Bell?” he heard Octavia say, but he couldn’t locate her. Then, he heard some footsteps… moving away from him. When he tried to push himself up, a sharp pang darted through his arm. “No, don’t move,” Octavia snapped, and he finally saw her over by the door… of his room. He was back in his room. How did he get back to the castle?

He felt the furs on his bed and reached over to where Clarke should be… but she wasn’t there. “Where is Clarke?” he slurred. Then, he heard the door slam shut.

“She will be here soon,” Octavia replied as she sat down on the bed beside him, pushing him to lie back down. “Do you remember what happened?”

“Echo shot me with a poisoned arrow,” Bellamy groaned.

“That was three days ago,” Octavia said calmly, and Bellamy’s eyes widened. Three days. He was out for three days.

“What is going on with our army? Are they still in good shape? Did that storm pass over?” he snapped, and Octavia gripped his face between her hands.

“Clarke is taking care of all that. Relax,” she murmured, and he sucked in a deep breath. Clarke knew how to handle a war. She could do this without him for three days. “Murphy brought you back here in time, but your group took on a lot of casualties.” Bellamy bit down on his lip, praying she would wait until he was a bit better before giving him the exact names. “You almost died.”

“I know,” he murmured.

“How could you do that to me? I had no one when we got the news.”

“You had Clarke,” he reminded. She liked Clarke long before Bellamy started to. She would have had a support system there for her.

“No, I didn’t have Clarke. Clarke has been both king and queen since you got back, making decisions for both Arkadia and Polis,” she snapped.

“What is going on with Arkadia?” he asked. Since Azgeda abandoned the border, there shouldn’t be any current problems there…

“Clarke said nothing when I asked her, but it couldn’t be nothing if she sent Monty and Jasper back to Arkadia,” Octavia explained, and Bellamy clenched his eyes shut. His head was still too fuzzy to make sense of any of this… but Clarke probably had a simple explanation for him that he would get later. “But back to your foolish sacrificial self,” she growled, and he hesitantly opened his eyes, wincing in advance, “I don’t want to lose my brother. Don’t you ever do something like this ever again.”

He opened his mouth to apologize, but the door swung open and Clarke ran in, her eyes widening when she made eye contact with him. Octavia mumbled an excuse to leave, and based on the furious look in Clarke’s eyes, he wanted to beg Octavia to stay… but she was already out the door before he could get his words together. “What would have happened if you had died out there?” Clarke asked, anger boiling in her tone.

“Clarke—”

“You agreed to sending an ambassador, completely leaving out that you were going to sneak out of our bed in the middle of the night to go with him,” Clarke spat, stepping toward him. “That ambassador is dead, by the way… along with everyone else who was struck by an arrow and didn’t make it back to the castle.”

“You and I both agreed that the peace summit was a good idea,” he reminded, not willing to have the blame cast onto him entirely for what happened.

“Yes, the summit, not you going to the summit. What would have happened if you had died?”

“Octavia would have honored my alliance with you,” he huffed as if that were even a question. “And you would have helped Octavia transition to being queen. You’re good enough at it. You would be an excellent person for her to learn from.”

“I was not asking about what would happen to Polis and Arkadia,” Clarke said, now pacing in front of his bed.

“Well, then what are you so damn angry about?” he snapped.

“What would have happened to Octavia without you here to protect her?” she replied, and Bellamy snapped his mouth shut. “Do you know what happens to queens? They get kidnapped, threatened, tricked into signing marriage contracts that hand over their kingdoms to their power-hungry princes or lords if they die. Trust me when I say that she is too young for that and I don’t wish that on anyone else.”

“Clarke.”

“And Madi adores you, you know that? She sobbed in my arms every night as we waited to see if you would ever wake up,” Clarke growled, and Bellamy swallowed. “And what would have happened to—”

“Nothing would have happened to anyone because I lived, Clarke,” he huffed, and she turned away from him. “Arguing about this does nothing because I had luck on my side and I lived.”

She whipped her head around, her eyes widening. “You think you had luck on your side?” she snapped. “No, you had _me_ on your side. You had Lincoln who found the antidote to this poison years ago after it killed my father.” Bellamy flinched at that, feeling a minor pang of guilt that he might have forced Clarke to relive that. “You had Murphy who fought through his own injuries to get you back to the castle safely.”

Bellamy snapped his mouth shut, wishing he could get out of bed to go over to her… especially now that he could see how her eyes threatened tears. “Clarke, can you come here?” he whispered, patting the bed beside him.

Her eyes looked hesitant as she studied him, no longer looking as angry but more hurt… maybe even betrayed after how Bellamy went behind her back. “Please,” he begged. He didn’t know how to fix this, he didn’t know how to apologize… but he could start by comforting her. He could do that much for her.

After a few moments, Clarke crossed over to her side of the bed, sitting up next to him. “Were you going to ask what would have happened to you?” he asked, realizing he cut her off before. “You would have been okay.”

“I would have been alone,” she murmured, keeping her eyes on her own hands.

“Clarke, you have—”

“I have no one else who understands,” she interrupted, her teary eyes meeting his. “I need you.”

“Come here,” Bellamy pleaded, gesturing for her to rest her head on his shoulder. She bit her lip as she looked over at him. “Please. I need you too,” he confessed. All he wanted to do was hold her, to reassure her that he was still there and that he wasn’t going to leave her again.

Slowly, she shifted towards him, her eyes unsure as she relaxed against him. His uninjured arm wrapped around her, pulling her as close to him as possible as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m not leaving you, Clarke,” he whispered, and she broke into a sob into his chest. He ran his fingers through her curls as she cried, wincing at the sound of her tears. He shouldn’t have gone to the summit… he shouldn’t have done this to her. But he would figure out how to fix it. He had to.

“Don’t ever do that to me again.”

 

* * *

 

Madi and Octavia took turns keeping Bellamy company as he recovered. Octavia brought in his chess board, and either she had been practicing or Bellamy really was that out of it because she beat him every time. Madi would come in holding stacks of books from the library with a list of questions prepared for Bellamy. Sometimes he would read with her, other times she would tell him long stories about Arkadia. Most of them were funny ones about Jasper or Monty… and usually involved Raven pranking them.

He was still restless, not liking being kept in bed while Clarke covered for him. He hardly got to see Clarke except for when she crawled into bed late at night, so exhausted that she would collapse immediately. He had taken sleeping closely beside her, savoring the few times that Clarke rolled onto his chest and he got to hold her. Despite the breakdown she had when he first woke up, she had remained stoic since. The few conversations he had with her were short and often guarded… and he couldn’t figure out why Clarke was pulling away from him. She knew that Bellamy cared for her and he knew that she cared for him, even though neither of them had actually said it. She had no reason to put the stoic mask on when it was just the two of them.

“How is Clarke doing?” Bellamy asked as soon as Kane finished the war briefing.

“Lincoln would be able to answer that better than I could,” he replied in a concerning tone and Bellamy raised his eyebrow. “It is not as though she would confide anything with me.”

“But how does she seem to you?” Bellamy asked, and Kane stood up to close the door before walking back over to him. “I can’t read her right now, and it’s scaring me.”

“I wouldn’t be scared. She is on our side,” Kane explained, but that wasn’t what Bellamy meant. He knew Clarke was on his side no matter what. He was worried about her. “You almost dying affected a lot of us in different ways. Octavia leaned on Lincoln’s shoulder, Madi cried herself to sleep, I stopped sleeping. But your wife… something snapped. I can’t explain it.” Bellamy sat up taller, wincing at the dull pain in his arm. “I was the Arkadian ambassador during part of the war with the Mountain, if you recall. What I saw from Queen Clarke these past few days was quite similar to what I saw then.”

Bellamy swallowed, recalling the way that Clarke let it slip that the poison that nearly killed him was the same poison that killed her father. What happened to Bellamy might have been just too similar, maybe it drove Clarke back to that dark memory… meaning this was Bellamy’s fault for being foolish enough to go to the summit. “Do you know why she sent Monty and Jasper back to Arkadia?” Bellamy asked, staying on subject.

“No. Lincoln said it was to escort a few of the Arkadian troops here, but she did not have to send two of her best guards for that. Plus, the timing of her order was suspicious,” he explained.

“Suspicious how?” Bellamy snapped.

“They left the castle within an hour of when Murphy drug you back here.”

Bellamy swallowed. That timing was suspicious. And with Kane saying that Clarke was acting like she did when she was at war with Mt. Weather… that told Bellamy that she was up to something. “Will you ask her to come see me?” Kane opened his mouth to argue, but Bellamy held his hand up to cut him off. “I just want to know what she actually sent her two guards to do,” Bellamy replied calmly, trying not to think about how close to the Azgedan border she was sending them. Whatever she was up to, he needed to know.

Once Kane left, Bellamy pushed himself out of bed. It was hard to get dressed on his own, but he was not about to spend a moment longer in this bed when there was a war going on. At the very least, he could go downstairs for dinner and get out of this room for a bit.

“Is everything okay?” he heard Clarke ask as she came in, and he sucked in a deep breath. He was about to fight with Clarke for the second time this week… and God, he hated fighting her.

“Yes. I wanted to know why you sent Monty and Jasper back to Arkadia,” he replied as he tugged his jacket on. When he looked up at Clarke, her eyes were narrowed at him… fully prepared to fight him, which told him his suspicions were right. “It’s a simple question, Clarke.”

“I was not aware I had to inform you about orders I make to my own subjects,” she snapped, and he _knew_ she was hiding something now. If she wasn’t, she would not get so defensive.

“Clarke,” he said calmly, stepping toward her. “What are you and your men up to?”

“All I am doing is running our war council. What makes you think I am up to something?”

“You sent Monty and Jasper out of this castle within an hour of Murphy bringing my unconscious body here,” he huffed, and her eyes widened. “What are Monty and Jasper doing?”

“I don’t know why you are taking such a sudden interest in them, but they will be back in the morning,” she replied as she turned away.

“So, they aren’t escorting your troops to the front line?” he snapped, catching her up in the lie. She whipped her head around to look at him, furrowing her eyebrows as she tried to think her way out of it. “If you and Lincoln are going to lie to me and Kane, you could at least use the same story. What did you ask them to do?”

“I needed them to retrieve something for me,” she said carefully, and Bellamy stepped closer to her, narrowing his eyes. “And it happened to be just across the Azgedan border.”

“What could you possibly want from Azgeda?” Bellamy snapped, and Clarke opened her mouth before slamming it shut. He tried to think of what would be there, but nothing would be easily accessible up at the northern border. “I’m not asking the right question, am I?” he realized, and her eyes widened. “Who did you want from Azgeda?”

“Bellamy—”

“Did you have Monty and Jasper abduct someone from Azgeda?” he snapped. No, that couldn’t have been right. Clarke wouldn’t just kidnap someone. It served no tactical purpose. Nia’s generals up there wouldn’t have information about what the army at Polis’ border was doing, and it wasn’t like Clarke to kidnap someone for information… it wasn’t like Clarke to kidnap anyone. But Clarke wasn’t answering… which meant the answer was yes.

“Who?” he asked. Maybe it wasn’t a kidnapping so much as a rescue. Nia had lots of Arkadians in her prisons. But he had a bad feeling that wasn’t why Clarke sent them. “Clarke,” he said, “just tell me who it is, and we can find a way to fix this.”

“There is nothing to be fixed, Bellamy. I made the right call,” she snapped, and he cocked his head to the side. “What would you have done if you were in my situation?”

“What?”

“Nia assassinated my father, Bellamy. And then she tried to take you too,” Clarke huffed, breaking away from him as she rubbed her temples.

“Clarke, what does this have to do with you kidnapping someone from Azgeda? You aren’t making any sense and I am so sick and tired of the two of us working behind each other’s back,” he growled, and her nostrils flared up as she crossed over to him. He already regretted spatting out the bit about them leaving each other in the dark about decisions, especially given his most recent stunt.

“Nia won’t try to kill anyone else I love if she knows that I can take someone she loves just as easily,” she shouted, and Bellamy froze at those words. “I finally found a way that I can sleep at night knowing that you, Madi, Octavia, and my mother are all safe from another Azgedan assassination attempt,” she went off, and Bellamy realized that she didn’t even realize what word just slipped so easily off her lips.

“Clarke,” he whispered, his heart about to pound itself out of his chest.

“And my spies in Azgeda figured out where Roan was hiding out weeks ago. It wasn’t even a risky mission to send them on, and they’re bringing him here, so do not lecture me,” she growled, and Bellamy finally got his brain to stop focusing on that word Clarke uttered to him as he realized that she ordered the abduction of the Azgedan prince.

“You took Roan?”

“Yes. Nia tried to take my husband, so I took her son,” Clarke snapped, her eyes even more defiant.

“You kidnapped a prince, Clarke,” he shouted.

“I made sure you would stay safe,” she screamed, and Bellamy’s face fell. “It seems I can’t keep you from putting yourself in danger, especially when you decide on your own to approach a peace summit that was a trap. But now, I can make sure that Azgeda doesn’t lay a hand on you.”

“Clarke—”

“What would you have done?” she yelled, and the tears finally broke through. He pulled her into his chest quickly, capturing her sobs in his chest. He wanted to say that he wouldn’t have snapped like Clarke did… but that would be a lie. Dax tried to abduct Clarke, and Bellamy declared war behind her back, his army diving mercilessly across the border. And if Kane hadn’t been there to calm him down, Bellamy would have done far worse. He wanted Nia’s head for what almost happened to Clarke… he just never considered that Clarke would react the same way when Bellamy was threatened, especially when she seemed so composed.

“If Nia had killed you, I wouldn’t have stopped until she lost everything,” Bellamy murmured into her hair, rocking her back and forth as she heaved. “But she didn’t kill you, and she didn’t kill me.”

“She almost did,” Clarke whispered, her tearstained face finally popping up to look at him. He pushed away a few tears with his thumb, trying to think of something he could say to reassure her… but no words would do the trick. Bellamy almost died, and it caused Clarke to break. He thought he had gotten the worst of it when he woke up… but he didn’t realize how much his almost death affected her. And he certainly hadn’t considered that Clarke might have fallen for him too.

A knock on the door nearly jerked Clarke away from him, but Bellamy held onto her. “It’s just to tell us dinner is ready,” he murmured as Clarke tried to compose herself. He gestured for her to stay put as he went to the door, quietly explaining to the servant that neither he nor Clarke were feeling well tonight and to start dinner without them. When he turned around, she had headed over toward the window. He followed after her, slipping his uninjured arm around her waist as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. She turned her head back to look at him, a bit of surprise behind those beautiful eyes of hers. “We are both still here, Clarke,” he murmured. “And I am not going to take a risk like that again.”

“Promise?” she begged, and he nodded. He couldn’t do this to her again. Not now that he knew.

She turned in his arms, now burying her face into his neck as he ran his fingers through her hair. He could feel her soft breaths against his skin, closing his eyes at the sensation. “Clarke, you have to know that I…” he trailed off as soon as she looked up at him. He wasn’t sure if she meant to let what she said slip or not… and he was scared that he misinterpreted it. So, instead he said, “That you are so important to me,” praying that it wouldn’t scare her away if he did misinterpret her.

Clarke pressed her lips together, her hand resting on his jaw. He closed his eyes, enjoying the softness of her fingers as she traced his jawline. Then, her soft lips met his and his eyes jerked open to make sure this was real. It wasn’t like the last kiss they shared where Bellamy was so desperate to find a way to show her what she meant to him when his words failed. It wasn’t quick and rushed. His lips didn’t bruise into hers.

No, it was a gentle kiss. And when Bellamy cupped her cheek, she made this happy hum that was music to his ears. No knocking on the door interrupted them this time. So, when Bellamy finally pulled lips off her, they had been kissing for a while. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked happier than he had seen her in weeks. If he wasn’t already gone for her, seeing how she looked back at him now would have been enough to make him fall.

He knew they needed to talk about what to do about Roan, but he wasn’t about to break this perfect moment, not when her lips were the first thing that had brought him peace in so long.

 

* * *

 

“They are here,” Lincoln announced, and Bellamy glanced over at Clarke, who seemed nervous. “But there is something you need to know.”

“Is Prince Roan alright?” Clarke asked, leaning back in her seat.

“Yes, he is more than alright,” Lincoln said, and Bellamy raised an eyebrow. “He came with Jasper and Monty willingly.”

Bellamy glanced over at Clarke, whose lips had parted in surprise. She knew Roan much better than Bellamy did but still not enough to be prepared for whatever he was up to. He drifted out of the conversation that Lincoln and Clarke had about it, trying to figure out if Roan was just smart enough to know that coming willingly was the best way to ensure his own safety… but that just didn’t seem like Roan.

“You know, you could have just asked me to come and visit,” Roan announced as he waltzed into the throne room with a huge smirk on his face. “Or I could have been invited to the wedding. I adore weddings.”

“I personally don’t care for them. I was almost killed on my wedding day,” Clarke snapped, and Bellamy pressed his lips together.

“And inviting you would have been in poor taste,” Jasper chuckled, and Roan burst out laughing.

“Oh right, because I proposed to her and she married him in secret within the same week,” Roan chuckled, and Bellamy shot a confused look to Kane who just shrugged. Roan was acting very calm for someone who was just abducted from his home by Clarke, who had every intention of executing him if his mother crossed her again.

“Your Majesty, Prince Roan chose to come back with us on his own,” Monty stepped forward.

“And why would he do a foolish thing like that?” Bellamy blurted out, before Clarke elbowed him.

“Because I believe we can all help each other get what we want,” Roan smirked, and Clarke’s eyes widened.

“We want to win a war against your country. I doubt we can help each other,” Bellamy huffed, but Clarke was still eyeing Roan curiously.

“No, you just want to be sure that Azgeda never attacks your kingdoms again,” Roan replied, and Bellamy rolled his eyes. He would never feel safe around Azgeda as long as Nia was in power. She would always be after both their kingdoms, and likely their lives after she finds out about her son’s “abduction.”

“And what do you want?” Clarke asked calmly.

“My kingdom,” Roan replied, and Bellamy’s eyes met Clarke’s. “And you can both agree that I am far more trustworthy for negotiating peace with.”

“I don’t trust you,” Bellamy snapped.

“What do you think it will take to end the war, Your Majesty?” Roan asked in the most condescending tone he could muster. “Do you think Queen Nia will ever surrender?”

“What you are talking about is an assassination,” Clarke replied, and Roan raised an eyebrow at her.

“It is nothing new to you two. Why Clarke, I’m fairly certain Dante died by your hand directly,” he snorted, and Bellamy had to grip Clarke’s hand before she lunged forward. “And I would take care of that part anyway.”

“Do you expect us to believe that you would turn on your own mother?” Kane jumped in, stepping between Clarke and Roan.

“My people are starving and dying off this winter because she is too busy funneling all our resources to a pointless war effort,” Roan said calmly, and Bellamy wasn’t sure if he believed him or not. When he glanced over at Clarke, she seemed a bit more agreeable to what he was saying. “There are riots breaking out everywhere, furious with the crown. If they decide to rise up against her, it won’t be long until I am caught in the crossfires. But if she were taken out and the war ended quickly, I could get things back under control. You would have your peace, and I would be able to keep my kingdom from revolting.”

Bellamy looked around the throne room, searching for any face that seemed to know what to do… but everyone looked confused. Jasper and Monty clearly already knew about this proposal but still looked just as confused as the rest of them.

“Or you could continue with your plan to use me as leverage against my mother, but I think you overestimate our closeness,” he said bluntly.

Bellamy and Clarke both sat there silently as Lincoln and Kane took turns drilling him with questions, where he revealed that Nia did purposefully let Emerson escape and that Dax was working for Azgeda.

“I don’t trust him,” Bellamy whispered as Lincoln led Roan out of the throne room. Kane had stepped out to give them a moment as well.

“I trust him more than I trust Nia,” Clarke muttered, and Bellamy snorted. He trusted Echo more than he trusted Nia. He’d trust a man holding a knife to his neck more than he would trust Nia.

“He could be spinning this story as a way to get closer to us and help his mother,” Bellamy reminded her, and Clarke swallowed. “Or this could be just him trying to get out of being our hostage.”

“He isn’t lying about his people rioting,” Clarke sighed, and Bellamy reached over to grab her hand. “And he is not close with his mother.”

“Well, he isn’t a very useful hostage, is he?” Bellamy huffed.

“Yes, he is. Nia won’t let him die. If her people found out that she did, she would be done,” Clarke replied, pushing herself up to her feet. “But if he is telling us the truth, he might be more valuable as our partner than as our hostage.”

“If he is telling the truth,” Bellamy reiterated, and Clarke nodded. “Are we willing to trust Roan?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, should they trust Roan? A) yes or B) no. You can vote in the comments section, in a reply or tag on the Tumblr post (@asroarke), or in the poll on my twitter (also @asroarke). Voting closes on April 5th at 7 pm Central Time.
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are always appreciated.
> 
> (request: when voting in the comments, please start your comment with either A or B for your vote. I love hearing your thought processes so feel free to keep sharing them, but having the vote up front really will help me with tallying up the votes.)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She sighed as she rested her head above Madi’s, just inches away from Bellamy’s face. “If Roan betrays us—”
> 
> “He won’t,” Bellamy cut her off. “You made sure of that. This isn’t like the Mountain, Clarke. You’re wiser now. You’re more prepared for this.”
> 
> “And I’m not alone this time,” she whispered, her eyes locking with his. He let his hand rest on the back of her neck, lightly nudging her toward him.
> 
> “No,” he murmured before pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You are not alone. And you won’t be, ever again,” he promised, his lips grazing against her skin as he spoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, you guys voted almost unanimously for them to trust Roan (I'm not even going to count because there was like one vote saying to distrust him). 
> 
> This chapter is a bit calmer than most of them have been, since we're approaching the end of the story. This time around, the vote is going to be a little bit different (you'll see what I mean when you get to the end notes). 
> 
> Anyway, we are almost DONE. Thanks for all the love and support for this fic and I'm excited to see what you guys think of this update!

“I think we need a moment,” Roan said, his eyes locking with Clarke’s. Her eyes jumped to Bellamy, who had that protective look in his eye. She shot him a reassuring look. It wasn’t like Roan was stupid enough to try and kill Clarke here in Polis. He’d never make it out the door alive, let alone back to Azgeda.

“Let’s clear the room,” Bellamy huffed, clearly unhappy about leaving her alone with Roan. Clarke paced as she waited for the door to close behind Bellamy and the others.

“You don’t trust my plan,” Roan accused.

“I don’t trust you.”

“Clarke,” he snapped, and Clarke narrowed her eyes at him. “Your Majesty,” he corrected in a condescending tone. “My mother would throw me to the wolves if it meant saving herself. You cannot be surprised that I would do the same to her.”

“I’m not,” she sighed, crossing her arms as she leaned against the desk.

“Then, what are you so skeptical about?” he snapped, and she bit her lip. If Clarke were to trust anyone from Azgeda, it would be him… but that didn’t mean she was happy about it. “As I see it, this is no different than what you agreed to when you escaped the Mountain.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she growled, and a smirk tugged at his lips. She hated that he knew about that. She tried to keep it quiet, yet somehow, one of his spies informed him despite her best efforts.

“Does your friend’s death haunt you that much? What was her name again?” he teased, and Clarke was about two seconds away from removing the dagger from her pocket and throwing it at him.

“Maya,” Clarke spat. “Do not talk about her. You didn’t know her.”

“My point is that this is a very different situation than the one you were in with the Mountain.”

“It’s really not,” she snapped. “I made a deal with her and Cage that I would kill Dante, and in return they helped me and Madi get out of the Mountain and promised that when Cage took the crown, the war would end. And Cage lied to me.”

“I am not lying to you,” he replied, rolling his eyes at her. “And I know that if I do lie to you, your men will probably handle Azgeda the same way they handled the Mountain.”

“I had no part of that,” Clarke growled. It wasn’t her fault that Jaha acted without her knowing, while she was too distracted recovering from what happened to her when she was inside Mt. Weather.

“They poisoned the water supply in your name, Clarke,” he spat, stepping toward her so that he towered over her. “Your army slaughtered theirs while they were sleeping, and anyone who survived that attack died when they got back home.”

“Stop,” she warned.

“It was your people or theirs. I understand that,” he said calmly, putting his hands up defensively.

“It wouldn’t have happened if Azgeda had honored our agreement,” she growled.

“And if I had been king, I would have. I am not the villain here.”

“I don’t know that,” she reminded.

“What do I have to do to get you to trust me?” he yelled, and she swallowed. She would never truly trust him, not really. But maybe she didn’t have to. Maybe she could find a way to force him to honor this agreement.

“I need you to write a few letters,” Clarke decided, and he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “One to Ilian, one to Indra, and one to Lexa.”

“What?”

“You are going to tell them that your mother ordered the release of Emerson, which led to an attempted assassination. You will tell them that Nia orchestrated an attempted kidnapping of a queen and a fake peace summit so that she could assassinate Bellamy,” Clarke explained, and his face went pale. Even if Roan betrayed them, these letters would ensure that their allies would jump to their side.

“If my mother finds out I did that—”

“She will have your head,” Clarke smirked. “But if you are truly about to take her out, you wouldn’t be too worried about that. And there is no way I would inform her about your treachery unless you betrayed me.”

“I am not doing this,” he spat.

“It is either this or being locked up as our hostage, praying that your mother loves you enough to spare your life,” she snapped.

He broke away, clenching his fists as he stormed toward the window. “Three letters?” he growled, and the smirk on Clarke’s face only grew.

“Three, all with your seal on them.”

 

* * *

 

“It isn’t the same thing,” Raven reassured, and Clarke threw her head back. “You have Prince Roan backed into a corner. He can’t betray you.”

“I can’t be too careful,” Clarke sighed, burying her face in her hands.

“If he doesn’t kill Nia within the agreed amount of time, you will inform her about his betrayal and she will likely kill him. If he doesn’t agree to a peaceful end to the war once he becomes king, the neighboring kingdoms will turn against him and he knows exactly how far you would go to win a war,” she reassured, and Clarke bit her lip. His words from earlier haunted her. She did her best not to think about what happened at Mt. Weather all those years ago. Perhaps if Madi hadn’t been there or been so young, Clarke wouldn’t have entered into that agreement with Cage… but there was no point going through what could have happened. There was no bringing anyone back. And Clarke tried to negotiate peace with Cage… she warned him that his own people would suffer if he didn’t back down.

“I will never go that far again,” Clarke snapped, and a smirk formed on Raven’s lips.

“But Roan doesn’t know that,” she reminded, and Clarke nodded. Roan wasn’t a stupid man. He had to know that betraying Clarke and Bellamy wouldn’t end well for him. For goodness sakes, Clarke kidnapped Roan when Bellamy was attacked… who knew what Clarke would do if her kingdom were at risk.

“Thank you,” Clarke whispered as she pushed herself up. She needed to get to bed before she collapsed. She murmured her goodbyes to Raven for the night, tiptoeing down the hallway toward her room. She opened the door quietly, spotting Madi already fast asleep on Bellamy’s shoulder while he read. His eyes flickered up to meet hers, and a small smile formed on her lips.

After Clarke got changed into her nightdress, she crawled into bed beside Madi and Bellamy blew out the candle. Clarke pushed some of the hair out of Madi’s face before pressing a kiss to her forehead. “She’s been out for at least an hour,” Bellamy whispered, and Clarke settled onto her side. When she looked up at Bellamy, his eyes were intensely focused on her. “Are you okay?”

“Of course,” Clarke lied, focusing her attention on smoothing out the tangles in Madi’s hair.

“Clarke,” he said, and she bit her lip. “You and Roan were not exactly speaking in hushed tones.” Clarke’s eyes went wide as she looked up at him, searching for any sign of what he thought of her now.

She opened her mouth, searching for some kind of explanation that would make him understand… but there was no explanation. Clarke didn’t know what she was doing back then. Her parents spent so much time trying for a son that no one started prepping her for the throne until she was older… and everyone thought she had more time. Her father wasn’t supposed to die. And Dante wasn’t supposed to kidnap Clarke, leaving her defenseless in enemy territory. She was lucky that Maya was who came to bring food to Clarke and Madi… that Maya happened to be someone who loathed the way Dante was running things and was courageous enough to help Clarke.

“I was a teenager,” was all Clarke could get out before the tears started. She was a teenager who had just lost her dad and didn’t know if she would ever see her home again. All she had was Madi, who was so young back then and hardly knew Clarke. When Maya offered that Cage could get her out, Clarke didn’t know what she was really agreeing to. It seemed simple. Kill a king and stop a war. And then she was home… and everything should have been okay. But the war didn’t stop and her people kept dying. She had dozens of nobles whispering into her ear, telling her how her father would have taken care of this. She was too young, too scared, too rattled. She didn’t see what was happening until it was too late and everyone in the Mountain, including those who helped her, were taken from this world.

“Shh,” Bellamy murmured as he shifted carefully, trying not to wake Madi as he pulled his arm out from under her. He reached over Madi, pushing the tears off Clarke’s cheeks. “I know.”

“No, you don’t,” she mumbled.

“You forget that Pike backed me into a corner and forced me to make a decision that led to a massacre,” Bellamy said quietly, and Clarke glanced down to make sure Madi was still fast asleep. “I know.”

She sighed as she rested her head above Madi’s, just inches away from Bellamy’s face. “If Roan betrays us—”

“He won’t,” Bellamy cut her off. “You made sure of that. This isn’t like the Mountain, Clarke. You’re wiser now. You’re more prepared for this.”

“And I’m not alone this time,” she whispered, her eyes locking with his. He let his hand rest on the back of her neck, lightly nudging her toward him.

“No,” he murmured before pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You are not alone. And you won’t be, ever again,” he promised, his lips grazing against her skin as he spoke.

 

* * *

 

Twelve days. That is how long it took for news of Nia’s sudden death to arrive to Polis. The story was that some radical broke into the Azgedan Palace and assassinated her, and Bellamy and Clarke put all their advances on Azgeda on hold.

Lincoln pointed out that this would be an excellent time for Clarke to return to Arkadia, since it would be safe for her to do so during the ceasefire… but his suggestion was met by a panicked look in Bellamy’s eyes. When they agreed to their marriage, there was always an understanding that Clarke would return home once it was over. They loathed each other when they made the agreement, both more than happy to be married in name only. There was no expectation for children or cohabitation. Bellamy had his sister and whatever children she would have as his successors, and Clarke had plenty of cousins who would take the crown when she passed.

“Just a few weeks,” Clarke promised when they were alone in their room. He bit his lip as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Bellamy, Madi and I are homesick. The last time I saw my mother, I had to cut the visit short so that I could come yell at you for sending spies after me,” she reminded, and he let out a sigh.

“I know. I just…”

Clarke waited for him to come up with a legitimate reason why she shouldn’t go, but she knew the real reason was just that he didn’t want her to leave. “Why don’t you come with us?” He furrowed his eyebrows at that. “Either Octavia or Kane could act as regent while you are gone.”

“Hmm maybe,” he mumbled, and a smile crept onto Clarke’s lips.

“If something happens with Azgeda, we will rush back here. But we have our armies ready at both borders, lying in wait in case Roan is foolish enough to cross us,” she explained, and the tension in his forehead started to disappear. “Besides, how long has it been since you last visited Arkadia?”

“Well, last time I was in Arkadia, I was still a prince. I vaguely recall a pesky princess tripping me at dinner one night,” he smirked, and Clarke burst out laughing.

“And I vaguely recall you not watching where you were going and tripping yourself,” she teased, and he pressed his lips together, barely concealing his laugh. “I can assure you that no such princess would be there.” He rolled his eyes at her and she grabbed his hand. “Please, will you come with us?”

“Of course,” he replied, his thumb sliding up and down her hand as he spoke.

The journey to Arkadia was not terrible. Madi sat between Bellamy and Clarke, hardly taking a moment to catch her breath as she started listing off all the things she was going to show Bellamy when they arrived… and Clarke couldn’t stop smiling at them.

Madi did eventually tire herself out, falling asleep with her head in Clarke’s lap when they were less than an hour away. “Please tell me Lord Collins will not be at court,” Bellamy grumbled, and a giggle escaped her lips.

“He will be far away, likely inspecting the new lands I gave him,” she replied. “Why? I was under the impression that you two were close friends,” she teased, and Bellamy narrowed his eyes at her. “Don’t tell me you are still jealous.”

“I never said I was jealous,” he huffed, now looking out the window. Clarke bit her lip, fighting not to tease him any further. “And what would I even be jealous of? I’m your husband, not him.”

“Yes, you are,” she reminded him, and a small smile formed on his lips. “Besides, Madi likes you better than him.”

“What about you?” he teased, and she rolled her eyes.

“I guess I do too,” she shrugged, smirking as she looked out her own window. Then, she felt Bellamy grab her hand. She turned just in time to see him pull her hand to his lips, pressing a small kiss with the sweetest smile on his lips… and an intense warmth spread throughout her chest. He went back to looking out the window but didn’t let go of her hand… and if Madi weren’t right between them, she would kiss him right now.

 

* * *

 

Bellamy insisted on carrying Madi to her room once they arrived, despite the fact that he was still supposed to be resting his arm. She led him to her room, all while nagging him about needing to rest more as he grumbled that he was fine. She helped him get Madi into bed before taking him by the hand back into the hallway.

The two of them hardly got a moment of quiet with everything her mother had planned. The dinner had too many guests for Clarke to keep up with, radically different than the calm of staying at the Polis castle. Then again, she had been gone for so long that she probably should have expected such an overwhelming welcome back. Bellamy handled it well, being far more charming than he usually was as he talked with her mother or Lord Jaha.

“I was surprised when you told me he would be coming here with you,” her mother whispered, and Clarke’s eyes met Bellamy’s across the table. He was too busy listening to Jaha and Sinclair argue to hear them, luckily.

“He is my husband,” Clarke replied, and she nodded along.

“It’s just that I thought it was a marriage in name only,” she said.

“Things changed,” was all Clarke could think to say.

“You mean you fell in love,” she smirked, and Clarke swallowed. She hadn’t dared to say those words out loud yet, not to anyone. She wasn’t sure what she was so scared of. It was clear that Bellamy cared for her the same way she did… but maybe he didn’t quite love her yet.

“Yes,” Clarke admitted, her eyes fixed on Bellamy as he laughed at something that Sinclair said. “I love him.”

 

* * *

 

Those words had been echoing around in Clarke’s head the entire time they were in Arkadia. It wasn’t like she didn’t think them before… but the two of them weren’t at war here. There was no Kane rushing in with urgent news here. There was no internal panic every time a letter came in with an Azgedan seal. She spent her day doing the more mundane duties, settling petty disputes and monitoring the grain situation for this spring, while Bellamy was off with Madi for most of the day. In the evenings, she’d lean against him more after dinner, falling in love with the way his whole body seemed to vibrate with laughter when he found something funny. On the nights that they sat beside each other at dinner, his hand would always find hers before he pressed a kiss to her hand, and she would spend the rest of the dinner feeling dizzy at the tingling feeling it left on her skin. And since Madi didn’t sleep in their bed most nights, Bellamy held Clarke a bit closer at night, peppering kisses all over her face sleepily when he would wake up. She loved him. And she was a fool to think that she could keep those words bottled up inside her.

The night before they were supposed to return to Polis, Clarke decided that she had to tell him. She waited in their bedroom for him, pacing back and forth nervously. When the doors opened, her head popped up to meet his eyes, which had a strange look in them. “I believe your mother just interrogated me,” he smirked as he closed the doors behind him.

“What?”

“Well, it started with a casual question about when she would see me again,” Bellamy replied, and Clarke bit her lip. Her mother was a bit more fixated on when she would relieve her of her regent duties. Clarke’s mother did not agree to Clarke being in Polis permanently, forcing her to take of Arkadia for her. And there was no one else Clarke trusted enough to take on the task.

“And?”

“Then, she asked me in no uncertain terms about my intentions toward you,” he smirked, and Clarke rolled her eyes. “Should I be concerned that your mother seems to think I’m a heartbreaker?” he teased, and Clarke let out a groan as he stepped toward her and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“What did you say?”

“I think you know,” he said lightly, and she furrowed her brows. “Obviously, I told her that I orchestrated this entire war and our marriage just so that I could come to Arkadia and learn the secret to Sinclair’s new invention for harvesting grain… which can’t even grow in my country,” he joked, and Clarke hit his chest as she scrunched up her face.

“Well, what is the secret?” she asked, more out of curiosity than anything.

“I don’t know. I wasn’t paying attention,” he replied, and she rolled her eyes as she tried to pull away, but he just pulled her tighter against him. “I’m sorry, but you are quite the distraction.”

A blush crept onto her cheeks as she met his eyes, and she realized he wasn’t teasing her at all anymore. “I love you,” she confessed, watching his eyes widen at her words. His lips parted, and a panic surged through Clarke. Every moment that went by without him saying anything only added to her panic.

Then, his hand slid up to cup her cheek, and everything else seemed to stop. “I know,” he replied. “God, Clarke. You literally kidnapped an Azgedan prince when I almost died. I know you love me, sweetheart,” he whispered, and she blushed at that endearment. The world had never been calm enough for them to let those slip, certainly not calm enough to let confessions of love fall off their lips. She wasn’t used to it, but she could be. God, she could be. She could get used to how happy Bellamy had been with her these past few weeks. She could get used to finding him huddled up with Madi and a book, looking at her like she had always been his daughter. She could get used to this. “And I love you,” he finally said, but she knew she would never get used to hearing that.

She couldn’t get her lips on his quickly enough, and he chuckled against her lips at her eagerness. “Say it again,” she pleaded, and his lips trailed to her cheek as he pulled her chest tight against his.

“I love you, Clarke,” he whispered right into her ear, and she gripped his face between her hands and kissed him again, her lips gliding quickly against his. His hand slid over hers, interlacing their fingers, and Clarke’s eyes flew open to meet his. His gaze was piercing yet loving.

Clarke didn’t know what was going to happen in the next few weeks. They could be at war again or Roan could stick to the agreement. She didn’t know how she and Bellamy would work out their living arrangement once they were at peace officially, how the two of them could seemingly be at two places at once without separating. All she knew was that they would figure it out together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as you can see, I didn't leave you guys with some nerve wrecking choice. We're done with the crazy war drama for the most part. This time around, you guys are going to vote on what kind of epilogue you want to see, and you get more than two choices:  
> A) a time jump focusing on how they settle into their life after the war  
> B) a wedding to make up for the terrible first one they had (this time without assassination attempts)  
> C) a pregnancy that was unexpected but not unwelcome, featuring a lot of family fluff and at least a few hours of me agonizing over baby names as I write it
> 
> All of the options will give you ample closure from the plot of the main story (and some good Roan kom Azgeda snark). You can vote in the comments section, in a reply or tag on the Tumblr post (@asroarke), or in the poll on my twitter (also @asroarke). Voting closes on April 10th at 9 pm Central Time.
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are always appreciated.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He barely heard Clarke as she went out into the hallway to give Miller instructions not to disturb them unless someone was dying. “Do we have plans this evening?” Bellamy mumbled, too tired to even open his eyes.
> 
> “Yes. You are I are going to sleep so that we can sign the peace treaty with clear heads in the morning,” Clarke reminded, but Bellamy stopped listening then. He could still hear her soft voice in the distance as she got ready for bed, but he was drifting in and out of consciousness.
> 
> He felt the bed dip when she got in beside him, and he sleepily extended his arm, gesturing for her to come closer. She rolled into him, tucking her head into his neck, letting out a soft, happy sigh when he kissed her sleepily. “Love you,” he murmured before his eyes shut again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for all the love and support you have given me on this fic. This was a really fun way to celebrate hitting this milestone and I've really loved doing this Choose Your Own Adventure format. I'm glad you guys had fun participating in this and I might do something like this next time I have something to celebrate. Now, without further ado, here is the Outlast Epilogue.

Bellamy tried to keep his nerves under control, but he was still tapping his foot nervously as they rode back to Polis. He and Clarke did not get much sleep last night, completely due to the fact that Jasper burst in with news that Roan was on his way to Polis. He wished he could say the real reason neither of them slept had anything to do with the beautiful confession Clarke made. But as it turns out, Jasper apparently has quite the talent for interrupting a moment. Clarke started pouring out her anxieties about why he was coming, and Bellamy did his best to convince her that it was probably good news… although he had doubts himself.

Now, Clarke was fast asleep against him in the carriage, while Madi laid out on the seat across from them. Bellamy closed his eyes, trying to join his girls in getting some sleep before he returned home. He knew that the second he walked in the door, Octavia wouldn’t leave him alone until he gave her every detail of his trip to Arkadia. Not to mention that Kane was probably going to lecture Clarke and Bellamy about this meeting with Roan, not caring if the two of them were tired or not.

He shifted toward the window, and Clarke let out a soft sigh as she buried her face into his chest. A small smile formed on Bellamy’s lips, remembering what sweet words escaped her lips just moments before Jasper ruined their night. She loved him. Somehow, his queen, the one who only agreed to marry him for the war, fell in love with him too. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“How are mountains even made?” he heard Madi ask, and he slowly opened his eyes to see her staring at him with that curious look in her eyes.

He sat up slowly, careful not to wake Clarke who desperately needed her sleep. “Well, there are a few different theories I’ve read about,” Bellamy started, and her eyes widened in excitement.

 

* * *

 

In many ways, Bellamy liked King Roan better than most over royals he dealt with. But at the moment, he was his least favorite person on this earth. Bellamy and Clarke barely returned to Polis in time to get their briefing before Roan arrived.

Luckily, Clarke was much brighter than Bellamy was, handling the meeting well enough for the both of them. He didn’t really agree when Clarke agreed to reimburse Azgeda the cost of their ship along with a reparations fee, but he also knew that it was an agreement that made them look far more reasonable to their allies and Roan could not reasonably return home without such an agreement. “It is in our best interest that Roan stays their king,” Clarke explained as she closed their bedroom door.

“I know,” Bellamy grumbled. He just hated the idea of paying for a ship that Nia lost in the attack _she_ started.

“This will prop him up as a popular king, which will help us in the long run. Need I remind you that Ontari is also in line for that throne and we do not want a miniature Nia at our border,” Clarke reminded, and Bellamy grunted in response. She was right. She was always right. He just kind of hated that in moments like this.

Bellamy tugged off his boots before flopping onto their bed, not even bothering to get changed for bed. Their bed in Arkadia was quite comfortable, but Bellamy had missed this bed. And he was so exhausted that he would probably be happy to sleep on the floor.

He barely heard Clarke as she went out into the hallway to give Miller instructions not to disturb them unless someone was dying. “Do we have plans this evening?” Bellamy mumbled, too tired to even open his eyes.

“Yes. You are I are going to sleep so that we can sign the peace treaty with clear heads in the morning,” Clarke reminded, but Bellamy stopped listening then. He could still hear her soft voice in the distance as she got ready for bed, but he was drifting in and out of consciousness.

He felt the bed dip when she got in beside him, and he sleepily extended his arm, gesturing for her to come closer. She rolled into him, tucking her head into his neck, letting out a soft, happy sigh when he kissed her sleepily. “Love you,” he murmured before his eyes shut again.

 

* * *

 

“I thought Echo was the monarch’s right hand in Azgeda,” Bellamy pondered, having wondered where the hell she was during all these negotiations.

“I made it clear that she is not to step foot in Polis or Arkadia,” Roan replied, and Bellamy furrowed his eyebrows. “If you didn’t execute her for what she did, your wife surely would.”

Bellamy opened his mouth to protest but quickly snapped it shut. Bellamy wouldn’t punish Echo for acting under Nia’s orders… even if it almost cost Bellamy his life. But Clarke… well, he was less than sure. After all, she did order the abduction of Roan in response. Who knows what she would do if the person who actually took the shot crossed the border… “Probably a wise decision to keep her in Azgeda then,” Bellamy replied, glancing around the room to see where Clarke had gone off to. It had been a long time since Bellamy had hosted a feast here and the first time since he married Clarke. But Octavia was right. All of them needed an excuse to celebrate peace instead of dreading war, especially now that Bellamy was confident Azgeda was no longer a threat against him… for now.

One of Roan’s friends called out to him, and Roan pushed himself up, slapping Bellamy on the back before darting across the room. “Well, that’s something I never thought I’d see,” Octavia teased from —beside him, and he rolled his eyes.

“You made me throw the party. I’m not sure why you’re surprised that I’m behaving,” he retorted, finally locating Clarke dragging Raven onto the dance floor.

“I mean, I was hoping it would put you in a good mood. I just wasn’t sure it would work,” Octavia replied, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

“Why do you want me to be in a good mood?” he asked.

“Can’t your sister just want you to be happy?” she replied innocently, and he rolled his eyes.

“You always do this when you want something,” he muttered as he downed the last of his drink, “and when you are certain I will not like it.”

“I think you will like it,” she huffed, and Bellamy kept his eyes fixed on the dancing in front of them. “After all, you are all happy with Clarke and Madi now, and I think you would want me to find the same thing.”

Bellamy’s eyes widened as he turned to look at her. “Who is it?” he snapped.

“You have been saying that you want it to be my choice when it comes to who I marry—”

“Who?”

“—and I have found someone that I care deeply for and he cares for me as well.”

Bellamy bit down on his lip, scanning the room. Octavia had basically been trapped in this castle for months, not even corresponding with anyone outside it. But as Bellamy looked around, there was no one here he could see her being interested in. “Is it Jasper?” he asked, almost laughing as he said it. He could tell that kid carried a bit of a torch for her when he first arrived, but Octavia didn’t seem to notice or return the affection.

“No,” she said, almost as a question… which meant Bellamy was close. He closed his eyes, trying to think of who Octavia would have spent enough time with to warrant her coming to him with this. “It’s Lincoln.”

Bellamy’s eyes reopened, widening at Octavia. Bellamy opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted when Clarke took her seat beside him. “Octavia, Raven has been looking for you,” she said, and Bellamy bit down on his lip, shooting Octavia a look to remind her that this conversation was far from over. She practically skipped across the room as if she had somehow won him over. “What’s wrong?” Clarke asked, and Bellamy slipped his arm around her waist to pull her in closer.

“I think my sister wants to marry Lincoln,” he huffed.

“Did you only just now figure that out?” Clarke replied, and he whipped his head in her direction. “Please, the entire time you were hurt, Lincoln was who Octavia ran to for comfort. He adores her, and she is always coming up with the most ridiculous excuses to interrupt my meetings with him just to talk to him.”

“How long has this been going on?” he groaned, and a giggle escaped Clarke’s lips.

“Come on. Be happy for them,” she pleaded, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

“Has Lincoln discussed this with you?”

“No. I tried bringing it up to him, but he got all flustered and shy. It’s adorable,” Clarke grinned, and Bellamy let out a huff. “Don’t be like that. You like Lincoln.” Bellamy bit his lip, knowing that he had nothing to say to that. He did like Lincoln, quite a bit actually. He was clever and loyal; the kind of person Bellamy was grateful to have close by. “He comes from a good family, he has done an excellent job of keeping Madi and I safe over the years, he would never hurt Octavia—”

“Okay, I get it,” he cut her off, but she kept listing off his positive qualities anyway. Frankly, Bellamy had no problem with Octavia choosing someone like Lincoln. He was far better than most of her other choices. He was more annoyed that Octavia was trying to corner Bellamy into being okay with it.

“… frankly, I would be quite happy if I could call Lincoln family one day,” Clarke kept going, and Bellamy turned his head so he could watch her talk to animatedly about her friend. “I can only hope that one day Madi finds someone honorable and kind like Lincoln is. Octavia is quite lucky. And Lincoln is quite lucky as well.”

“You have already persuaded me,” he teased before pressing a kiss to her cheek. A small smile formed on her lips, the kind that he had been seeing a lot more of lately… and he was in love with that smile.

She leaned into him, taking another sip of her wine. Bellamy let out a happy sigh, leaning his head onto hers as he looked out at all their guests. He had forgotten what peace had felt like, especially since he hadn’t had it since he became king all those years ago.

Several people came up to talk with him and Clarke, many offering congratulations on their wedding. But for the most part, he and Clarke were able to keep to themselves, drinking a bit too much and maybe sitting a little too closely together. But Bellamy couldn’t bring himself to care. The two of them were happy and they were in love.

When Bellamy found it a little too hard to keep from kissing her constantly, he murmured quietly to her that they could slip out and no one would notice. He started tugging her by the hand down the hallway, but it took a little too long to get back to their room, likely because Clarke kept distracting him by kissing him.

“I love you,” he whispered right into her ear, before kissing down her neck. She giggled as she shut the door behind them, before turning around to wrap her arms around his neck.

“I love you too,” she grinned, and he crashed his lips onto hers, pulling her as tight against him as he could manage as he walked her back toward their bed.

 

* * *

 

Clarke was nearly falling asleep on his shoulder during the reception of Octavia’s wedding. The two of them had been tired a lot lately, but Clarke more so than him. Between planning out this wedding, which was far more elaborate than theirs, and trying to transition both Arkadia and Polis back to peace… the two of them were constantly at work. Bellamy couldn’t count the number of times he would find Clarke asleep with her head on her desk when she was supposed to be reading something over, or the number of times he had to carry her to bed because she had fallen asleep in a meeting.

“It’s almost over,” Bellamy whispered before pressing a quick kiss to her forehead.

“I’m sorry. I’m waking up, I promise,” she murmured as she sat up again, patting her cheeks as she tried to become more alert. “I don’t know why I am so tired.”

“Well, at least we won’t be woken up by Octavia pounding on our door because she had a new idea for seating arrangements ever again,” he joked, and Clarke rolled her eyes. Bellamy stole a glance over at Octavia, who was dancing with Lincoln with the happiest look in her eyes as she beamed at him.

“It was worth it, though,” Clarke reminded, and he nodded along. Of course, it was worth it. Octavia was happy, just as happy as Bellamy was. This was all he wanted for her. And he would overhear conversations between her and Clarke where Octavia would gush over starting her family with Lincoln with so much love in her voice, and Bellamy’s chest warmed at the sound.

“Yes,” he replied as he pulled Clarke’s hand up to his lips. She settled back against him, resting her head on his shoulder while the rest of the celebration continued on around them. Bellamy caught a glimpse of Roan trying to get Raven’s attention… and failing miserably. Bellamy would laugh if he hadn’t started to grow a bit fond of Roan. He also spotted Monty and Jasper getting yet another drink… and he couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Madi was off in the corner with Abby, barely keeping her eyes open just like her mother.

And as tired as Bellamy was, he couldn’t help but beam at the scene in front of him. His entire family was here and happy. They were safe. And months ago, Bellamy would not have thought this would be his life.

 

* * *

 

Bellamy had to deal with a dispute between two of his nobles, meaning he couldn’t go with Clarke and Madi when they went back to Arkadia… and he was in the worst mood because of it. Everyone but Octavia was specifically avoiding him if possible, including Miller and Murphy who he caught hiding behind a pillar when he walked into the hallway the other day.

It didn’t help that Bellamy couldn’t figure out a solution to his current problem of him and Clarke needing to be in two places at once. The infuriating thing was that there was an obvious solution… that he stays in Polis and she go back to Arkadia more permanently. But that was not a long-term solution, especially not if he and Clarke were to have children. They needed to be able to live together most of the time yet somehow be able to still perform their role of monarch in their prospective kingdoms. And Clarke really could not do her full duty as queen from the Polis castle. Her mother picks up the slack where she can, but if anything happened to her, Clarke would be left with absolutely no one she could trust to be regent.

Bellamy spent a few days looking over the proposals that Kane offered him, and they were all okay. But none of them really solved the real problem for Bellamy: he didn’t want to be separated from Clarke and Madi ever again. And each plan had some form of Clarke being away for a minimum of weeks at a time.

Then, he got a letter from Clarke explaining that she was returning sooner than expected, and his entire mood lifted. When she and Madi returned, Bellamy thought he was about to cry from happiness. Madi talked his ear off during dinner, listing off everything he missed in the two weeks they had been gone, starting with her falling and scraping her knee and ending with Clarke apparently getting sick after dinner one night. He didn’t get the chance to press her about it before Madi changed the topic. He shot Clarke a concerned look, but she waved it off.

“So, did Lord Kane come up with any new ideas while I was away?” Clarke asked after they tucked Madi in.

“None that would really work,” he muttered, and her face fell. He grabbed her hand as they walked down the hallway, squeezing it reassuringly. “We have time to get creative.” She bit her lip and nodded along yet said nothing, and Bellamy knew she was as disappointed as he was.

Her brows were furrowed as she stepped into their room, and Bellamy let out a sigh. “We have time to figure something else out,” he explained, and she bit down on her lip. “I think our best solution is to begin construction on a new home for us on the border of our two countries, which would be close enough to both our capitols for us to be able to conduct both Arkadian and Polis business there.”

“And how long will that take?” Clarke asked as she sat down on their bed, blinking up at him.

“A few years,” he huffed. “It’s not ideal, but it is the best idea I have at the moment.”

“Bellamy, I can’t keep making these trips to Arkadia,” Clarke groaned.

“I know. I hate when you’re away too,” he sighed.

“No, Bellamy. I physically cannot,” she snapped, and he turned to look at her, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. “I am pregnant. In a matter of months, I will not be able to safely make that journey.”

He blinked a few times, letting those words wash over him. Clarke was pregnant. They were having a _baby_. His lips parted as he looked over at her, worrying her lip as she glanced up at him. “I found out while I was there, hence why I came home early,” Clarke explained, and Bellamy sat down beside her, sliding his arm around her waist.

“You’re pregnant,” was all he could manage to whisper before pressing a slow kiss to her cheek. She nodded quickly, keeping her eyes focused on him.

“Are you happy?” she asked quietly before biting her lip, and Bellamy reached over to push a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“Yes,” he grinned, and her entire face lit up at that word… as if she had anything to worry about in the first place. He loved her and wanted nothing more than to have a baby with her. “I love you,” he murmured before sliding his lips against hers. She let out a soft sigh into his mouth as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?” he whispered.

“Hopefully, as much as I love you,” she replied with a small grin, and his eyes fell down toward her stomach, letting his hand drift that way without thinking about it. That was their baby right there, his and Clarke’s. And Bellamy already loved that child so much. “Madi doesn’t know yet, so we will have to figure out how to tell her.”

He nodded along as he looked back up at her, and the concern was starting to creep back into her eyes. “We will figure everything out,” he reassured, and she bit her lip. He knew she was skeptical, but she didn’t know just how determined Bellamy was to keep her and Madi and their baby as close to him as possible.

 

* * *

 

By the time Clarke started to show, Lincoln had found the perfect solution. One of Bellamy’s noblemen was looking to trade his lands on the border for some closer to Polis so that he might be closer to Trishanakru, who he did business with frequently. Luckily, Lincoln was in the room when that negotiation was taking place and pointed out that an older castle was already in place on his property. It was by no means a perfect solution, but it was certainly something he could fix up in time before Clarke gave birth and could continue building on over the years.

So, they got to work improving their new home. A lot of work had to be done before they could permanently relocate, which gave Bellamy ample time to prepare for the move. A few nobles were unhappy with the change, but Bellamy shut them up every time, reminding them that this decision is not just for Bellamy’s personal preferences, but also to ensure a peaceful transition should anything happen to him and Clarke. Their child was going to inherit both kingdoms, which meant their child needed to be located close to both sets of their people.

The renovations were taking a bit longer than Bellamy would like, but it was good enough for them to relocate there just two months shy of when the baby would arrive. Clarke was in tears when she saw the nursery that Octavia had decorated right beside their bedroom. Madi was happy with her room, particularly giddy when she saw just how many books Bellamy had brought in to fill her shelves. Bellamy was just happy to have it all done and to be able to sleep all the way through the night again. And Clarke was happy about that too, if only because it meant that he wasn’t keeping her up with his tossing and turning anymore.

Instead, they spent their time a lot like they used to before Clarke was pregnant and he was constantly panicking over that… just comfortably snuggled up together and waking up to Clarke peppering kisses across his face. The only difference was her swollen belly, which Bellamy nearly always kept his hand on, hoping to feel the baby kick again.

Bellamy was all over Clarke as they got closer to when the baby was due, much to her annoyance. She was remarkably calm about the whole thing, while Bellamy was a nervous wreck. He thought he would relax with the physicians he had brought in. He also thought he would relax when Clarke’s mother got here to help her through this. But he couldn’t relax, no matter how hard he tried.

It wasn’t until he was holding Lea in his arms that he finally calmed down. She was so small, so much smaller than he remembered Octavia being. But the nurse reassured him that she was at a healthy weight, which put him back at ease.

Clarke was in tears when Lea was placed in her arms, and Bellamy could feel his own eyes well up as well. “She looks so much like you,” Clarke whispered with the sweetest grin on her face, and he leaned over to kiss her forehead. He carefully sat down beside her, and Clarke rested her head on Bellamy’s arm as she stared at their beautiful baby. Clarke was right. She looked quite a bit like Bellamy with her dark hair… but those eyes were all Clarke’s.

“I love you,” Bellamy whispered to both of them.

 

* * *

 

Bellamy woke to the sound of Lea crying. He pried his tired eyes open, glancing over at Clarke who was rubbing her eyes. “I will get her,” he reassured, not wanting to disturb Madi who was currently draped across Clarke and snoring lightly.

He quietly crept over toward their little nursery, picking up Lea as quickly as he could. “What is it?” he whispered, as he rocked her back and forth. He knew she wasn’t hungry since Clarke had just fed her within the last hour. After a few minutes when Lea calmed down, he quietly walked her back toward their room, seeing Clarke sleepily watching him. “I think she just missed us,” he whispered, and Clarke rested her head back onto her pillow. She patted his side of the bed, gesturing for him to come back.

He carefully sat down on the bed, trying not to upset Lea in the process. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” Clarke cooed, leaning up to rest her head on Bellamy’s shoulder as she rubbed Lea’s back.

“Like I said, our little princess missed us,” he smirked, and Clarke buried her face into his neck.

“Love you,” she murmured sleepily, and Bellamy wrapped his other arm behind Clarke to pull her in closer. He kept his eyes fixed on their daughter as he heard Clarke’s breathing even out and Madi mumbling in her sleep. Bellamy was absolutely exhausted. He was a little too warm in this bed considering all three of his girls were cuddled up against him now. And he was completely and utterly happy.


End file.
